I saw 5 articles in Google news today about Sanders being unelectable and anguish on the downward spiral of Joe Biden. I almost think they were plants. I really don't see that Joe presents much better than Sanders, and I was prepared to vote for Joe. Could either beat Trump? Perhaps. Anyone sitting at the top of the Democrat ticket could wind up winning the general election. After all, Clinton won more votes the last time, and she did not, by her own account, run an effective campaign. Trump may be on an up right now in polls, but knowing Trump, many possible events between now and November could end up gifting the Democrats the White House.
But then there is Joe. Never an effective campaigner for himself on the national stage. And he is showing his age more than Sanders or Warren. There is a revealing pattern that within 30 minutes into a debate, his speech patterns go down hill. He leaves thoughts unfinished, his sentences become a mess, he starts shouting. He's had some rambling and strange town-hall appearances. So much so that SNL took a shot last weekend about the doctor "giving him 6 to 7 months." He shows no patience, and not infrequently makes headlines for yelling at audience members, the latest one an insult of some purported incomprehensible reference to some John Wayne thing at a heckler. Finally, he is running on the fumes of Obama, but many young Democrats see those years as a time in which their party's power was wasted on half-measures, and they want meaningful change. They will not get that with Biden as the nominee, and if he should somehow win the nomination, I don't see them coming to the polls in mass, even in the face fo Trump.
Bernie Sanders almost beat Clinton (if not for a rigged nomination process) while being horribly outspent. He is winning significant support in the early states. If Warren drops out, he likely will find even greater support. The guy can run nationally. Yes, he is quirky, yells a lot and some of his ideas are dead on arrival or patently unconstitutional. But he is a sharp guy and an effective campaigner. There will be questions after the heart attack so his VP choice will matter. And Bernie is a compromiser in practice on the Senate floor, and will start selling that. But in a divided country, there is really no reason to believe he can't win, especially with a very motivated group of supporters. And he represents enough change to have Dems come out in force against Trump.
Mayor Pete seems to be the moderate opponent to Sanders. He has come out of nowhere to win Iowa (last I heard) and likely will do well in New Hampshire. He has issues with black voters and will need to name a back running mate. He has the resume to appeal to intellectual wing of the Dems and independent moderates- Harvard, Rhodes Scholar and former Naval intelligence officer. The mayor speaks English, Norwegian, Spanish, French, Italian, Maltese, Arabi and Dari. Will his own party get behind him? He can emphasize generational change. He can provide me-to empathy to minority voters with the impact of being gay. He can capitalize on being an outsider to Washington.
The electability arguments presented by Bernie and Pete would seem like better bets to me than Biden right now.
But then there is Joe. Never an effective campaigner for himself on the national stage. And he is showing his age more than Sanders or Warren. There is a revealing pattern that within 30 minutes into a debate, his speech patterns go down hill. He leaves thoughts unfinished, his sentences become a mess, he starts shouting. He's had some rambling and strange town-hall appearances. So much so that SNL took a shot last weekend about the doctor "giving him 6 to 7 months." He shows no patience, and not infrequently makes headlines for yelling at audience members, the latest one an insult of some purported incomprehensible reference to some John Wayne thing at a heckler. Finally, he is running on the fumes of Obama, but many young Democrats see those years as a time in which their party's power was wasted on half-measures, and they want meaningful change. They will not get that with Biden as the nominee, and if he should somehow win the nomination, I don't see them coming to the polls in mass, even in the face fo Trump.
Bernie Sanders almost beat Clinton (if not for a rigged nomination process) while being horribly outspent. He is winning significant support in the early states. If Warren drops out, he likely will find even greater support. The guy can run nationally. Yes, he is quirky, yells a lot and some of his ideas are dead on arrival or patently unconstitutional. But he is a sharp guy and an effective campaigner. There will be questions after the heart attack so his VP choice will matter. And Bernie is a compromiser in practice on the Senate floor, and will start selling that. But in a divided country, there is really no reason to believe he can't win, especially with a very motivated group of supporters. And he represents enough change to have Dems come out in force against Trump.
Mayor Pete seems to be the moderate opponent to Sanders. He has come out of nowhere to win Iowa (last I heard) and likely will do well in New Hampshire. He has issues with black voters and will need to name a back running mate. He has the resume to appeal to intellectual wing of the Dems and independent moderates- Harvard, Rhodes Scholar and former Naval intelligence officer. The mayor speaks English, Norwegian, Spanish, French, Italian, Maltese, Arabi and Dari. Will his own party get behind him? He can emphasize generational change. He can provide me-to empathy to minority voters with the impact of being gay. He can capitalize on being an outsider to Washington.
The electability arguments presented by Bernie and Pete would seem like better bets to me than Biden right now.