If Bernie refuses to quit after tonight's losses should Joe just ignore him and focus on Trump?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

95 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Yes
	93 (98%)
	No
	2 (2%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[Zeus69]

1. Ignore Bernie

but "speak" to his supporters

[Bradshaw3]

5. Good point n/t

[MyOwnPeace]

8. GREAT idea!

Well stated, Zeus, and welcome to DU!!

[gristy]

10. Yes

[SCantiGOP]

22. And he should ask his supporters

to likewise ignore Bernie and his supporters.
Stop the attacks and anger towards his very sincere supporters, who we will need in November to defeat the billionaires, Trump forces, and Russians.
Biden has won the primary. There is no reason to lash out at Bernie the way so many do here on DU.

[TheFarseer]

56. +1

[rzemanfl]

2. K&R. n/t

[msongs]

3. no more primaries in the near to mid future so talking about bernie just gives him publicity nt

[OnDoutside]

4. Of course.

[ibegurpard]

6. Yep

Say nice things about him and his supporters and run like it's the general. Doing otherwise will just give them something to fight against.

[Just_Vote_Dem]

9. Perfect answer

They want conflict, don't engage.

[AtheistCrusader]

35. Not really. Want the best candidate to win.

But absolutely, nothing is served by us gnawing on each other.

[NCProgressive]

38. The best candidate has already won

The tribe has spoken

[AtheistCrusader]

40. Sorry, the last states to go in the primary have just as much value as the first.

Their voices need to be heard. Is it *really* too much to ask?

[NCProgressive]

44. Sanders will need to win by a 75%-25% margin in those states

to catch up.

We don't have to engage in exercises in futility.

Math is your friend.

[AtheistCrusader]

45. It's not futility, even if he can't win.

I can't believe we're having ANOTHER primary where this isn't understood.

[NCProgressive]

47. It is futility

but also infuriating because Sanders continues to run deceptive and doctored ads against Joe while he keeps running.

Sanders has every right to say why he is better, I have no problem with Sanders making a positive case; However, deceptive negative ads only help Trump. Any loyal Democrat would quit in Sanders' position. Why is Sanders so special that he can keep damaging our nominee?

[WyLoochka]

59. Under this thinking all the rest

Should still be in. It's not "fair that I didn't get to vote for Cory Booker or Kamala Harris".

I can't believe we are having another primary wherein it is not understood - when you lose, you get out.

You get out immediately and wholeheartedly get behind the winner and do whatever possible to get that person elected, along with the down ticket candidates, all across the country.

It was proven in 2016 that allowing the season to drag on only to have the bros humiliate civilized / rational Dems by throwing temper tantrums like spoiled 2 year-olds at the convention where they booed our real heroes like John Lewis was very destructive. it's one of the main reasons we got stuck with Trump.

Bernie needs to get out now and campaign hard for Biden who has won overwhelmingly on the rules that Bernie wrote. The rules he thought would result in his winning. Oh well, hoisted by his own petard. He needs to show some class, some honor by getting out now.

[ibegurpard]

51. I believe you

I just don't want anyone giving some people an excuse to claim that "the establishment" is out to get them.

[betsuni]

23. Yes!

Say nice things, lots of nice things. Keep uniting together as a force to beat Trump. Sigh. It's like we need half a dozen superheroes to beat him.

[Arkansas Granny]

24. This is the best response so far.

[SBoy]

7. I think we've got bigger issues and problems

Why does it’s matter whether Bernie stays in or not?

[getagrip_already]

11. because he and his surrogates continue to attack and damage both joe and the dem party....

Neither of which has any point beyond pettiness and vindictiveness.

Don't do trumps job for him.

[SBoy]

16. Other than a few partisans

Nobody is paying attention to his surrogates, and I’m a Bernie supporter. Like I wrote, we’ve got bigger issues than what his surrogates are saying.

[dansolo]

19. As a progressive, you should be concerned about damage to progressive causes

Bernie has become the symbol of progressives. Is satisfying his ego more important than the causes that he supposedly stands for?

[NCProgressive]

39. Bernie has anti-Biden ads running which have doctored videos

[George II]

41. If nobody is paying attention to them, why are they doing it? And they're not just "surrogates"....

....they're PAID employees of the Sanders campaign - Turner, Sirota, Gray, Orfalea.

[Tercules]

54. Cable news ratings are through the roof right now.

Bernie's *paid* surrogates are on regularly attacking, directly or indirectly, Biden. People are indeed paying attention.

[AtheistCrusader]

36. Why did we ever design a primary system that takes this long to complete if no one actually wants

it to run its course?

The last states to go have just as much voice as the first. Listen to them.

[George II]

43. Under normal circumstances no one wouldn't want it to run its course. But this is obviously over...

....even more so after tonight.

So why prolong something that has essentially been decided and put voters' health at risk?

[AtheistCrusader]

46. 'essentially been decided'.

Not ok.

Yes, I'm going to 'vote blue' no matter, but the primary needs a SERIOUS overhaul if we're just going to pretend the same last-round states don't matter, every time. It's not ok.

[George II]

49. There have been 29 states/territories voting so far, Sanders has won only 7-1/2, Biden 19....

Biden will increase his lead by about 170 more delegates tonight, giving him a 330 delegate lead, and Sanders isn't leading in a single one of the remaining states. He will have to win EVERY remaining state by 60%, and he's only been over 60% in three - home state Vermont, tiny Northern Marianas, and Nevada, a caucus state.

So which states do you think he'll win to begin to catch up?

[SunsetDreams2]

13. I think we are capable of

Concentrating on more than one thing at a time.
It matters, if Bernie has the integrity to realize the math is not there after tonight. It matters, if the math is not there if you back away and aim your fire solely at the GOP and Trump or if you stay in and continue to sling mud at the eventual nominee and the Democratic Party. It matters a great deal.

[dem4decades]

15. How about for the good of the party? That's right, Bernie doesn't belong.

[sheshe2]

29. It is because we have bigger issues...

SBoy
7. I think we've got bigger issues and problems

Why does it’s matter whether Bernie stays in or not?

It is because we have bigger issues that he should drop out after tonight. If Biden has a huge win tonight, Bernie does not have the math to make it. We are in the BEGINNING OF A PANDEMIC. Millions will die. It is not the time and place to create division within our party and that is what he and his surrogates are doing.

I think he should take his campaign slogan to heart and truly mean "not me, us". Unless he only meant some of us. It should be about what is right for the entire Country. We are in a crisis situation and many of us are going to die.

[dem4decades]

12. Yes and release Bloomberg on him.

[Zambero]

14. My thoughts exactly

Why continue to debate a non-viable candidate who has no intention of unifying the party? It's time to shift priorities to defeating Trump. Anything else is waste of time and missed opportunity.

[George II]

17. I thought that this morning. Just ignore him the rest of the way, concentrate on trump, and NO....

....more debates.

[LizBeth]

18. I think all of the Democratic party, including voters should shun and scorn Sanders if he does not

step down and get 100% behind Biden like all our other Democratic runner have responsibly done. The voters have spoken.

[Rizen]

20. The last thing we need is a repeat of the 2016 division of voters.

We need a united party including moderates and liberals against Trump. I support Sanders but will vote for Biden if he gets the nomination, just like I voted for Clinton in 2016.

[beastie boy]

27. Bravo!

Thank you, and spread the good word. We need more people like you speaking up.

[AtheistCrusader]

37. +1

The primary election is a contest. The general election is war.

[left-of-center2012]

21. Bernie who ?

[evertonfc]

25. ignore him like most everyone else is

[LaurenOlimina]

26. Yes.

[ehrnst]

28. I think that if Bernie wants to show that it's about Us and not Him he will bow out once it's clear

there's no path to the nomination via pledged delegates and the votes of the people, and which will give states the go-ahead to cancel the upcoming primaries, and preserve public health.

I have my doubts, however.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

30. Ignore Bernie and focus on the General Election.

There is no mathematical way for Sanders to get a plurality of delegates.

Even the conventions are now in question for both Presidential candidates.

[AlexSFCA]

31. with very low turnout the election results may skewed

possibly towards Bernie if only young and unafraid people are showing up at the polls.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

32. The opposite is happening !!!

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287673779

[AlexSFCA]

53. can't rely on youth vote, they chickened out lol

[AtheistCrusader]

58. This is a GREAT attitude to have. Thank you.

Very helpful in the general as well.

[sunonmars]

33. The whole party would need to pile on and endorse Biden and say, lets end this now to save lives.

[IluvPitties]

34. The primary's been over for about two weeks.

Biden needs to go GE mode.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

60. It's time for him to go.

[tarheelsunc]

42. If Saint Bernard refuses to quit tonight...

never again do I want to hear ANYONE try to tell me he's a Democrat, that he cares about our party, that he cares about this country, or that he cares about the people of this country. His spiteful, divisive, and reckless campaign have made it painfully obvious that there is only one person he cares about.

[Maru Kitteh]

61. That is EXACTLY how I feel. nt

[BlueIdaho]

48. Bernie exited his last presidential run

With most of his political cache intact. Looks like this time he will burn his ship to the waterline.

[Greywing]

50. Like it or not we are in a crisis and the Democrats need to unite and speak with one voice

and pound trump into the sand ... call his out on his lies!

[SiliconValley_Dem]

52. Really, we should ALL ignore him and his fans

Just cut them out of the conversation. Moving on!!!!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

55. His participation is basically pointless at this juncture.

[TheFarseer]

57. Yes, ignore him

He can’t win so no use attacking him. The only thing that will do is alienate his supporters, who we need to vote blue in Nov.