The Politics Thread

[OzFrog]

Sanders is OUT!! Campaign suspended.

 

About bloody time too!

[Gray Bunny]

 

I was not expecting that so soon. But thank goodness. We need the time to unite the party as best as we possibly can under these circumstances and to break down the idea of "Bernie or Bust."  We've seen bust. We're stuck with Kavanaugh. RBG won't last another 5 years. 

 

P.S. I'm a Wisconsinite now (missing Chicago every day, but) and at my polling place yesterday evening, the place was empty. In & out in 10 minutes. All the workers wore masks and gloves and all computer screens, voting booths, and pens were wiped & sanitized after each and every person. I personally felt safe, but obviously that's not the case everywhere. I'm in Madison, not Milwaukee, and not directly downtown so that's why my polling place was so empty. 

[Khan]

No doubt, Bernie Sanders dropped out, because he's about to land another gig with a fat paycheck.  But, whatever.  He's done.  I'm satisfied.

[ReddFoxx]

What a relief that this primary is finally over save for the formalities. It's time to focus on the general election.

[DramatistDreamer]

The only other good news (beside Bernie dropping the heck out) on an otherwise solemn day for me.  Hopefully the rest of the NY tri-state area will follow suit.

 

[Juliajms]

This thread is so true, but you may as well try to reason with the MAGA's.

 

[DRW50]

I'm glad Bernie saw the light and is bowing out. He could have been much more openly ugly than he was, so that is something. 

 

I'm sure Biden will be very gracious toward him, but I hope he won't make any attempts to win over Bernie's supporters. There is no real point. I go back and forth on Matthew Yglesias but he makes the point clear in this piece (and the tantrums and mind games in response just prove his point).

 

 

[JaneAusten]

This is good news amidst everything else. I hope New York doing this is a sign of others to jump on.  Despite of his own issues he's been sort of the pseudo leader(even though IMO people like Newsome and Inslee have done a better job), he's getting all the attention because NY is the epicenter. And my niece who is a New Yorker(she works for the Dept of Public Health in NYC). She has many issues with Cuomo and even more with DeBlasio but what she says about Cuomo is that he is a doer and can get things done.

[Vee]

Next in the Fox News Glenn Greenwald slot:

 

 

[DRW50]

And just a few days ago she was going on about "our party." 

 

Other than Hillary's 2008 campaign I struggle to name a major Presidential campaign as badly run as Bernie 2020. Scott Walker, maybe. Bernie hired so many grifters and so many people who profit more from him losing than from him winning. And we see the result. A landslide loss, and many, many Bernie voters who will now move away from politics entirely. 

Edited April 8, 2020 by DRW50

[JaneAusten]

Despite the flaws in his 2016, Sanders did have some competent people working for him. Symone Sanders for one. It was a telling sign from the onset that she went with Biden versus Bernie again. 

[Juliajms]

He had an incredibly toxic online army. I've never believed that Bernie is as bad as Trump, but I do believe his hard core followers are as bad as the MEGAs. They hurt him much more than helped because reasonable people run from that kind of behavior.

[DramatistDreamer]

 

And it was honestly, more than his online army, it was his communications director and several of his surrogates who were/are incredibly toxic. The 'Bros' were bad enough but when you add people in his official staff who were saying and tweeting toxic things (without Bernie ever saying anything to rectify it), it made it all but impossible for Bernie to ever expand his 'base' in any way.

Bernie himself seemed unwilling to reach out in any way that was genuine and meaningful.  His brand was unyielding and to course correct or make adjustments is not in his DNA.

[Khan]

Well, he's gone.  For now.  We can breathe a sigh of relief 'til 2024, when I'm sure the itsy bitsy Bernie will climb up the spout again.

[Juliajms]

I have to admit I don't even know who most of his surrogates are (AOC and Susan Sarandon excepted). I haven't seen cable news in forever. I actually miss it during election time because I'm interested in politics, but not enough to seek it out the way I would have to now. I also tuned out of the primary pretty early on for the sake of my sanity. I'm just glad he actually stepped aside this early on. I feared it would drag out to the bitter end again.

 

I wish we could wrap Biden and RBG in a protective life force shield right now.  I feel wrong for saying that because I know their lives are more than politics, but damn. Please let them stay safe for the sake of the greater good.