There has been a real dearth of information on V14 (or anywhere else) about local Newton activities for Presidential candidates. Part of that seems to be that a large number of people seem to be still making up their minds.
As a longtime activist, this year seems to be really short on opportunities to get involved in Newton on a Presidential primary campaign. That’s too bad, because it can be a formative experience for both students and adults.
So here’s your chance: Who are you supporting, why, and feel free to include volunteer opportunities. I’ll have my own answers in the comments.
[NOTE: This is intended to be NON-PARTISAN, so feel free to post about Republicans as well as Democrats]
I’m supporting Elizabeth Warren for President. I’m also helping organize New Hampshire trips for her campaign. If you’re interested in joining us, send me an email at [email protected] and I’ll get you plugged in!
Hopefully some representatives of other campaigns will post as well.
Supporting: Trump
Reason: MAGA and more recently KAG
Volunteer Opportunities: Go to NH
#YangGang !
You’re missing a billionaire with extensive corporate and governmental experience in the picture.
I’m supporting Elizabeth Warren for President for so many reasons! She has spent her life studying how unchecked corporate power and Washington corruption makes our government work for the extremely wealthy and well-connected, but no one else. She has a clear vision for how to make our economy work for everyone: passing the biggest anti-corruption bill since Watergate, combatting the climate crisis, passing universal child care and tuition-free public college, and strengthening anti-trust laws. She knows how to fight and she knows how to win.
Warren 2020
@Bryan: you say that your post is “non-partisan”; terrific. Let’s talk about the picture attached to your story.
The picture is a widely circulated media montage of candidates from the June Democratic debate; but it’s been photoshopped by someone to remove half of the candidates.
You excluded the two Democratic frontrunners Biden and Sanders.
Absurdly, you included several Democrats who have dropped out.
Your chosen picture also excluded all the Republicans, including our own former governor Bill Weld (a good person!) and the incumbent Trump.
Given your ardent support for Elizabeth Warren, this graphical selectivity hardly seems like a coincidence.
Not cool! You control a tiny media outlet here. Photos matter, as the Photoshopper in this case evidently knew. How about some equal visuals for the candidates?
@Michael – I didn’t omit or photoshop anything. The image is complete, I think V14 is cutting off one row on each side to make it fit the dimensions. And I didn’t think the image was going to change anyone’s choice for President…
Funny I’d been planning on voting for Amy Klobuchar but since her photo wasn’t on Village 14’s homepage, I’d decided to go with Julian Castro instead. Seriously Michael, it’s one thing to point out something that doesn’t look right here, but to assume its a conspiracy is, unfortunately all to typical these days and also over the top.
I’ve added the full image so it appears correct on the jump. Unfortunately this Word Press template automatically crops the image that shows up on the homepage to fit a set dimensions. (Yes, it still doesn’t include the Republicans and I’m sure Bryan could have chosen something else, blah, blah, blah. so I’m guessing we’ve haven’t heard the end of the teeth gnashing here.)
Andrew Yang is the first candidate I have made a campaign contribution for. Not only that, his forward thinking approach and ‘humanity first’ approach to policy has lead me to register as a democrat for the first time.
I really like V14’s focus on local issues. We have a lot to focus on in Newton. Is this a new direction for the blog?
Michael singer, just curious as to which candidate you are supporting?
As for your compliant, did anyone even look at the photo? Besides you of course… who doesn’t know that Bernie and trump are running?
How about posting something about whichever candidate you support? That would be constructive.
Jeffrey, I don’t know if I should describe your comment as wry, snide, or snarky. ;)
Don’t worry we will get back to repetitive comments about Northland and Greg controlling the world soon enough.
I’m with Biden as the only candidate that can defeat Trump with Mike Bloomberg as my second choice.
Fig. Interpret it as an honest expression of my opinion. I think tangents into national politics will diminish V14. More is not always better.
Fig. Interpret it as an honest expression of my opinion. I think tangents into national politics will diminish V14. More is not always better.
I had a negative reaction to this post as well although it wasn’t related to the photo.
I would be fine if the gist of the post was “Tell us who you are supporting and why”
But to solicit volunteers for your preferred candidate just seems an inappropriate use of V14. IMHO
Village 14 remains dedicated to Newton. We have over the years had a thread or two related to how people locally plan to vote on a national or state election. This thread is very much within that tradition.
It’s time to pass the torch to a new generation of Americans. Like JFK, Pete Buttigieg is transformative candidate, ready to take this country in a bold new direction. He’s got my vote and I believe he can beat Trump.
I think Biden has the best chance of defeating Trump, but my heart is with Mayor Pete. I’d be happy with anyone except for Tulsi or Sanders.
Joe Biden – currently polls the best against our idiot in chief.
so much for this post being non-partisan……
Independent, the post is asking who do you support for President with no parameters.
It’s up to commenters to add who they support. Nothing is keeping anyone from adding whomever they want to win. Trump has already been mentioned once. Instead of complaining about a made up grievance, why not tell us who you support.
@Marti: “made up grievance”? seriously? The original post contained the disclaimer “NOTE: This is intended to be NON-PARTISAN, so feel free to post about Republicans as well as Democrats” Yes, Trump was mentioned once because that person apparently supports Trump. My comment was targeted to the comment above my comment that did indeed say who they support and then proceeded to use derogatory language about another candidate. That IS partisan. That was my point. If Jim started using derogatory language for a liberal candidate, a significant number of commenters would be jumping on him. And you would probably delete his comment because it did not meet your moral standards.
As for me, I don’t see a candidate at this point on either side that I would support with my vote. As I have mentioned in previous comments, I feel politics these days is way too polarized on both sides which leaves centrists with a tough decision. May decide to just sit this one out…which is also a choice.
I will be voting in the democrat primary for whoever I think can beat Trump and in the actual election, I will vote for whoever the DNC selects to run against Trump – unless he’s already gone.
That said, at this point I like Klobuchar, Wang, Buttigieg and Bloomberg. I’ve watched interviews with most of the candidates
and like the way the above can calmly answer questions and stay on point when answering a follow-up question. Passion has its place but that place is not on the campaign trail when answering voters’ questions.
With Biden polling as the one who has the best chance for beating Trump, I could be persuaded to vote for him particularly if he chooses a good running mate.
The main thing that the members of the Democratic Party need to accomplish after the primary is to find a common goal to run on that not only unites democratic voters but appeals to those on the fence and even sways some who voted for Trump. In addition any demeanor, body language, words or campaign strategy that could be construed as arrogance or elitist needs to disappear – maybe even have the candidate take a class in humility. Ideologues are a small percentage of voters on both left and right. We need to open our minds and vote together.
I particularly don’t like candidates who yell the points they are trying to make – really who wants to be yelled at. I find Sanders and Warren have a real problem with that.
If we end up splitting the vote again, we will lose.
I’m voting for Bernie Sanders. Here are just a few reasons: He has a decades-long record of supporting workers and women. His support for medical care and education for every US citizen is morally right and, with taxes on multimillionaires, economically feasible. It’s the only way to move this country forward. Sanders proved in 2016 that he can win in places where many people support Trump, so Sanders is the only candidate for the Democratic nomination who has demonstrated that he can beat Trump in the general election. Sanders is also the only candidate who can be trusted to work on behalf of all ordinary citizens and to stand up to corporate, billionaire interests–we know that he can be trusted to do it because he’s already been doing it for 40 years.
I am enthusiastically all in with Joe Biden and not just because he is the best positioned to beat Trump which he is. There is a reason Trump engaged in activities that got him impeached. Biden is the candidate he fears.
Against any other opponent Biden’s age and propensity for gaffs would be an issue. But age is a wash and gaffs are nothing compared to the lies and vitriol the spew from Trump.
I have always been a fan. I love his humanity and his basic decency. And he is far ahead of his primary competitors in terms of his experience and knowledge on the international and foreign relations front. Ironically, Trump, in his desire to hurt Biden has only strengthened his candidacy by bringing foreign policy to the forefront.
Biden will mobilize black voters who and will sway enough of the working class voters who went for Trump in 2016 to not only win but also turn the Senate blue.
My greatest fear is that the nominee would be Sanders or Warren who I think are unelectable starting but not ending on their positions on Medicare for all which will be heard as a promise to take away ’employer paid healthcare. A public option “Medicare for all Who Want It” is much more viable and will likely move us towards a single payer system
I don’t get the appeal of Yang as he seems totally unqualified. I won’t waste my breathe on Gabbard. I like Klobuchar and Buttigieg but doubt they could prevail against Trump. They would be solid VP picks although I also like Booker. I used to like Harris as a VP for Biden, but she didn’t wear very well in the primary. I can’t wait to hear her in the impeachment trail!!
I’m not interested in another billionaire president but hopefully they will both spend big to produce a blue senate
Oh and why is Deval Patrick running???
Correction: Impeachment TRIAL
Honestly, I haven’t made up my mind. Klobuchar and Harris were the ones I initially focused on. I’ve liked Warren as a Senator, and I admire her intelligence and her various “plans”, so maybe her too.
On Bernie, I’d vote for him if he was the nominee, but not in the primary. I made the mistake recently of trying to bridge the gap between some Warren folks and Bernie folks online. And then the Bernie folks started attacking me as a fake, a plant, etc. Bernie has some terrific aspects, but his most ardent supporters remind me that idolizing your political hero makes it hard to acknowledge they aren’t giants walking among us. They make mistakes too. I don’t think Bernie’s most ardent supporters realize the damage they do their candidate when they attack anyone who dares argue with their dear leader… I also doubt Bernie can win. He is polling well now, but folks haven’t really gone after him yet. There is a reason why Trump is not tweeting about how unfairly Bernie is being treated by impeachment.
On Biden, I admire him personally. To come back from the losses he has suffered in his life, honestly I’m not sure I’d have that type of determination. I’d be looking closely at his running mate. If he picked Harris or Klobuchar, I’d be on board for sure.
As for the billionaire candidates, I wish they’d just go away. I begin to worry about a brokered convention, which would be a disaster.
I will say this, I spend a lot of my time outside of MA, and I didn’t grow up here. We live in a bubble up here. It is a great bubble, but it is a bubble. We’d all benefit from more conversations with folks who don’t agree with us. I view this as the great irony of the modern age. Technology has given us greater ability to communicate with each other. We tweet, we gram, we facebook, we facetime, we skype, we text, we email, we snap. But those conversations feel like they get directed to ever smaller circles of folks who agree with us, and when we do talk outside our safe zones, it is easy to insult/dox/belittle/mock online. Political speech is the worst example of this. And I don’t know how to make it better.
Fig, I agree with you about Bernie, dislike how some of his supporters act and believe it damages his candidacy.
I also didn’t grow up here, have lived in 11 states, traveled the world for the state department and agree on the “bubble.” The thing is there are bubbles all over the country. During my high school years at a private girls prep school, now that’s a bubble, I lived on a wealthy, liberal leaning, suburban mountain smack dab in the triangle where Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama meet. Sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it? Of course, that was when where you stood politically didn’t matter much. Before that I was an army brat living and interacting with a diverse group of people and later a Navy wife doing the same – another different bubble.
The main political difference I have noticed in my 11 years living and being involved in Newton, is the number of ideologues who live here – both on the far left and far right. Ideologues generally have a closed mind viewpoint that won’t change regardless of being presented with logical reasoning – a belief. Throughout the country, voters are only 6% far right and 8% far left. So logically we need to shift to the right a bit. We have to remember that most of the country is more moderate and platforms such as “Medicare for all” sound scary and are not resonating well.
I think Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have generally good ideas, but they swing too far left to win.
We voters need to have open minds not stuck on one perspective, if we want to win the presidency. If we continue to argue amongst ourselves, we will lose because the vote will again be split.
Fig, I liked your comment, but my likes don’t register. hmmm. Conspiracy Theory??
I agree with you on the bubble. I too didn’t grow up here. This is still a center to center/right country.
I’m voting for Trump…again. Hands down best president in our lifetime. I’m 68 years old and no one has matches him. Please don’t reply with your sarcastic jabs. I only have time for looking at my retirement accts and the occasional post here. Be well. Trump 2020
Hey @ Patrick I don’t think you know what “non-partisan” means. You can’t be asked to say whom you support in an election – where there are essentially two political parties vying for the same office and be “non- partisan “. By picking a candidate , on either side you are indicating your “partisanship” – a supporter of a party, cause or person. My comment about Trump as ” idiot in chief ” is just an aside. Thanks for the opportunity to repeat it.
You might ” sit this one out”? Then you are the last person then I need a civic lesson from. Choose a side- get involved.
Thanks Claire! I think the like button has been broken for some of us for a while.
I am excited to support Andrew Yang. He is the only person campaigning on a vision of putting Humanity First while proposing the solutions that focus on empowering the people and addressing the problems that are relevant for the 21st century.
I am excited about the wide crop of candidates who are eager to support better healthcare and try to support those who struggle economically in the current economic landscape. Yet, only Yang does a great job of articulating policies that are implementable and can truly start addressing the root causes of the problems we face today and disparities in society.
@Biden supporters–
Why do you think Biden will do better than Hillary did against Trump? I see Biden as a much weaker candidate than Hillary, and I think Trump is stronger now as an incumbent. Biden vs Trump seems like a formula to get Trump re-elected. Someone tell me why I’m wrong.
Mike, the main reason I think is that many voters see Biden as a human being first, with a propensity for gaffes but no outright scandals. He’s mostly uncontroversial, he gets along with everyone and has experience in the White House. I also think that a lot depends on who he chooses as a running mate.
Hillary Clinton would have been a good President, I voted for her, but with all the fuss made over her emails, Benghazi and other claims, along with her perceived inability to relate to some voters, she couldn’t swing enough states to get their electoral votes.
Regarding Biden: He leads in States Hillary lost (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida). That’s why Biden can win.
@ Mike, because he isn’t a woman! There was a lot of misogyny working against Hillary. And that include Bernie supporters and Trump supporters. I believe is was the deciding factor.
There was also a lot of Hillary hatred. Biden is not hated
I’m curious Mike. If you believe that, why is Trump obsessed with Biden?
@Claire, I agree that Hillary was a special case. Outside liberal enclaves, she is truly hated, based on a steady drumbeat of bizarre conspiracy theories over 20-plus years (pizza-gate, Whitewater, Vince Foster, Benghazi-gate, email-gate). Oh, and misogyny.
I do not know which strategy is better in this odd time: picking a moderate in order to hold the suburbs and pick up a handful of low-information voters in swing states, or trending economically leftward to try to increase turnout by the young and disenfranchised.
John White, do you think that closing the case and finding absolutely nothing after two years of continuing investigation by Trump’s Justice Department into Hillary Clinton will change the minds of the “lock her up” and crowd or that they have even noticed?
As to what strategy is best, in 2016 we lost white suburban women and African Americans that Obama had carried so I think we need to get our base back and also appeal to the younger voters. To me that means a small move to the right and a candidate who could teach 6th grade and afterward host a charity ball. A candidate who makes voters feel like they know her/him, feel safe, have a sense of humor and one who not only makes voters feel comfortable but feels comfortable herself/himself being with every voter in any path of life.
Read Andrew Yang’s book, THE WAR ON NORMAL PEOPLE.
Jane H, I read it. That and his quick, clear answers in interviews has Wang on my list.
If I remember correctly, [like Biden] Hillary polled well in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida too, but ended up losing those states to Trump. I think head-to-head polls matching an individual Democrat against Trump should be viewed with caution at this point. The President was just impeached by the House, which has to affect his numbers. But he’s likely to emerge much stronger and more emboldened after the Senate trial.
Claire sees it as advantage Biden, because “he’s not a woman.” I might give that logic more weight if Hillary had come up short in the popular vote. But it doesn’t seem like being female hurt her much with voters when she ran against Trump. She just didn’t win enough states. I think that’s why it’s important to have an inspirational Democrat this time around in order to stretch the voter base by attracting more black, gay, and youth voters.
Jim agrees with me that Biden lacks the goods to take out Trump. And I think he makes a good point about no Democrat being “currently in a position to beat Trump.” But none of the Democrats have to beat Trump NOW, and the ultimate nominee will certainly be more formidable after they go through the primaries and convention. I’d like to see the Dems draw the sharpest contrast possible with Trump. That’s why I’m supporting Pete Buttigieg. He’s everything Trump is not, including brilliant, articulate and empathetic.
What Newton Upper Falls Resident said. “I wrote the damn bill!” Defy corporate media: vote for Bernie!
“As to what strategy is best, in 2016 we lost white suburban women and African Americans that Obama had carried so I think we need to get our base back and also appeal to the younger voters. To me that means a small move to the right and a candidate who could teach 6th grade and afterward host a charity ball. A candidate who makes voters feel like they know her/him, feel safe, have a sense of humor and one who not only makes voters feel comfortable but feels comfortable herself/himself being with every voter in any path of life.”
Appealing to suburban voters, independents and African American voters is exactly why Biden is the most electable. Buttugieg and Klobucher do well with the first two groups, but not at all the third. For reasons I don’t understand the youngest candidate in the field is just not registering with young voters. But they are the least reliable voting block.
Over Thanksgiving, I was discussing the race with my 30 yo attorney nephew who is a reliable liberal married to his equally reliable liberal attorney wife living in Houston Texas. Four years ago he was all in on Sanders and pretty negative on Hillary. Four years later he is solidly behind Biden and scoffed when his 19 yo brother expressed being all in on Yang, who seems to be drawing the attention of some of the younger people this time around.
@Mike “Because he isn’t a woman” was not the totality of why I think Biden is different than Clinton. It was just a response to what seemed to be an attempt to equate them. But it is absolutely the case that there was so much vitriol and hatred and right wing smears against Hillary that it made it possible that in spite of winning the popular vote by over 3 million voters, she isn’t our president today. Trump is using that same playbook against Biden. If Biden isn’t the nominee, this play book will be turned on whoever is. It has been relatively ineffectual against Biden because he has so much goodwill towards him. I don’t think any of the other candidates have that and would easily be defined by Fox News and Trump smears
@Marti Bowen
Who is Wang? Do you mean Andrew Yang? Or are you talking about Andrew’s Wang, who I am also supporting in the primaries.
Andrew’s Wang is a strong candidate. He’s gentle and soft when talking to older voters, but can be firm and hard when the hotshot young republicans challenge him on his views.
He’s also proven he has stamina after lasting through several three hour debates. Bernie and Biden could barely stand upright after the first 20 minutes.
Finally I love his views on automation. Yes, some of these fancy new toys can get the job done at a more efficient rate, but there’s nothing quite like a good old fashioned human’s touch to bring home the bacon.
Blue, Lol. Yes, of course, I meant Andrew Yang. I too think he is a strong candidate.
It’s easy to get mixed up as you say you are supporting Andrew’s Wang – who is that?
Mike, I think the biggest reason why Biden beats Trump would be we are all 4 years older and wiser. I hope that the Bernie supporters that sat out in protest for Bernie don’t sit out in November, I hope that if Biden is the candidate he actually campaigns in battleground states. If we don’t all learn, yes, history may repeat itself. But, I think we’ve all learned.
@Tom Sheff. Tim Snyder and I were the two coordinators of Bernie’s 2016 campaign in Newton and we moved immediately to do everything we could for Hillary Clinton in the general election. We were joined in New Hampshire by many other local Bernie supporters where we knocked on doors and telephoned voters. I’ll always recall how happy Martina Jackson was to see us come through the door at the Nashua campaign office the week after the Democratic Convention. I can’t recall a single Sanders supporter who told me they wouldn’t vote for Clinton although, truthfully, many of them didn’t do much in the general election. Some of this was antipathy to Hilary, but I think more was general inertia and fatigue from a tense and brutally long primary campaign and the fact that Sanders supporters like just about everyone else thought that Trump had no chance against Clinton. Ironically, two people who saw warning signs in the Mid West battleground states were Bernie Sanders and Michael Moore who admonished me and others in several emails to get behind Hillary’s campaign.
Bob, as you say Bernie’s supporters continued to support him even after the Democratic convention when Hillary won the nomination and “didn’t do much in the general election” because of “antipathy to Hillary” but “more [so because of] general inertia and fatigue from a tense and brutally long primary campaign.” In 2016, passion ruled the day but this time logic and the reality of the situation must win over the passion ignited by a slim chance of a Bernie win.
Idealogues will not win the election.
The above cannot happen again. That choice weakened our chance to win and if repeated will do so again. The “antipathy to Hillary” prompted many to either vote for Jill Stein or more so not to vote at all – during the campaign, antipathy directed toward another candidate will do the same. If a candidate other than Bernie wins the nomination, please encourage his supporters to get behind whoever is selected right away. Continued in fighting will lose us another election.
Bob Burke, are you supporting Sanders again in the primary?
Yes I am. I only commented yesterday to highlight my belief that it’s time to turn the page on 2016 and it’s even more important not to let differences this time around prevent a quick reuniting after the primaries and convention behind whoever is the nominee. I can comfortably support any of the candidates and I trust that those backing other candidates will reciprocate if Bernie Sanders is the nominee. Bernie has said he will throw everything he has to help the eventual nominee. I was with 100 of the state’s top Bernie organizers in Braintree yesterday and didn’t hear one say they wouldn’t do likewise.
One of the chief reasons I’m still with Bernie is that the guy knows how to stake out positions, fight tooth and nail for them, when to hold them and when to fold them, and compromise where necessary to reach settlements acceptable to his side and the other side. In the process, he usually winds up becoming friends with these opponents. He did this as mayor of Burlington when he enticed the areas major developer to turn from hostile opponent to friend and partner in a lot of the redevelopment projects that have made the city such a great place to live and work.
I’m a veteran and use the VA for some of my medical needs. In 2014, Bernie was Chair of the Senate Veterans Committee and John McCain was ranking member. They fought tooth and nail over how this system should be overhauled, but both came to see that the other had as much love and compassion for veterans as they did. They drafted a compromise bill, went all out for it as a team and came to fully respect each other. One of the first things McCain did after returning to save the Affordable Care Act was go over and give Bernie a big hug.
Bob, There has been a lot of polling in the battleground states that Bernie supporters who either didn’t vote or switched to trump to express anger against the system flipped those states for Trump. In fairness something like 90,000 votes could have done so. I know that isn’t you and your friends. And Hillary deserves the blame she gets for running a poor campaign. But Bernie has to own his part too in Trumps election. When things are so close, small items make an outsized difference. Bernie could have dropped out far sooner. He did what he could later on, but the damage was done early. I doubt he thought trump could be elected and wanted to build his movement.
There is a reason trump now trumpets how unfair the Dems are to Bernie. Because it works. Bernie supports stay home, declared what’s the difference between Hillary and Trump anyway the last time. They did. We have polling to prove it. And we now know how wrong that was. Because Hillary is nothing like Trump. Never mind the judges and the Supreme Court.
2016 was a transformative election. It turned the Supreme Court for 30 years or more. It unwound the Obama legacy.
When history is written, if Trump wins reflection, Bernie will be remembered not for his movement, but like Ralph Nader. In my generation when you mention Nader’s name, I don’t think of his good works with consumer protection. I think of Florida in 2000. I think of the damage done with 2 forever ears and I think of the difference Gore would have made with global warming. Fair? Dunno. True, yep.
If Bernie win the nomination and the election he can rewrite the story. But I think in the end he will be known as a dreamer and an idealist who helped burn the Democrats down, and brought to power a conservative president with few norms.
I view his as a good man, but blind to the possibility of failure. He sees things in black and white. Fundamental change is his message. Even if he takes us off the cliff.
Hopefully I’m wrong. And I’m not trying to provoke anger. But wow this election…
Sorry for the spelling mistakes!
Fig, I agree with most of what you wrote .
I will add, I see an alarming similarity between Trump and Sanders in regards to tactics. They both use a scorched earth tactic and they both have supporters who are happy to defend that to the bitter end. (Bob NOT in that group based on his words). There are so many people I admire who support Bernie. They just don’t see that damage he has and may yet created
Trump and Sanders also project such anger, and I will add Warren to that. I am just so tired of all the anger!!!!
Clair and Marti. I don’t get into “tit for tat” fights on Village 14 suffice it to say you cherry picked what I said. I posted this as a call for unity. After stating some reasons I’m still with Bernie, I made it clear that I would enthusiastically support any of the other candidates. I also made it clear that 100 or so Bernie supporters signaled the same at yesterday’s meeting in Burlington. Bernie’s also made the same pledge. The so called “Bernie Bros” aren’t the ones laboring in the field for Sanders. I’m also not sure whether they are posting from here or from Moscow. We all know what’s at stake. I simply hope and trust that those supporting every other candidate will do the same if Bernie is the nominee. Let’s all move on and win this thing in November.
@Bluefootedbooby- Grow up….you must have better things to do? How about a joke book for middle schoolers. You are qualified. What’s wrong with you?
Bob I expressly excluded you from a sub-section of Bernie supporters. I haven’t met you but I feel as if I know you from your posts here and have no doubt that you fully supported the Clinton in the general. So no “tit for tat” here.
But it is undeniable that some Bernie supports did serious harm to Hillary and I sincerely hope that doesn’t happen again. The consequences are too serious.
Since the like button is broken, I want to echo Bob Burke’s evidence-based statement that Sanders’ supporters will work for the nominee and moreover that Sanders’ supporters did work and vote for Clinton in 2016.
The various people here asserting that Sanders supporters threw the 2016 election to Trump are repeating finger-pointing that has been widely refuted (see for example http://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/did-bernie-sanders-cost-hillary-clinton-the-presidency/). Such accusations hurt 2020 Democratic chances by ignoring the real causes of the 2016 loss. Among those causes are: people did not trust Clinton, she promised to continue the status quo that was so damaging to so many ordinary (not wealthy) citizens, and her political campaign ignored crucial states.
Biden certainly has the same first two problems as Clinton. Many people do not trust Biden and he supports the elitist status quo. His long political record is full of acts that completely violate what he claims to be now. Biden’s support for deregulating the banking industry still supports wealthy corporations at the expense of ordinary citizens (see for example https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/11/biden-bankruptcy-president/). Biden’s treatment of Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas hearing was sexist (see for example https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/what-joe-biden-hasnt-owned-up-to-about-anita-hill). And Biden’s opposition to busing as a means to school desegregation was racist (see for example https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/15/us/politics/biden-busing.html).
I held my nose and voted for Clinton in 2016 because I recognized that Trump was far worse than her, and every Sanders 2016 supporter I know also said they were going to vote for Clinton too. God forbid that Biden is the nominee against Trump in 2020, I’ll hold my nose and vote for Biden. But I don’t think Biden can beat Trump because he has too much Clinton-like baggage: his own record suggests that he will to continue to support corporate and elitist status quo.
In my opinion, Sanders is the best candidate for president–I think he has the best policies to help ordinary people going forward and he is most likely to beat Trump. I do recognize that people can honestly disagree with Sanders’ policy proposals and thus support another candidate.
But I find it outrageous that more people in this thread are impugning Sanders’ integrity than Trump’s. Sanders has a 40-year record that shows his consistent support for ordinary citizens generally. Sanders’ integrity is clear.
I’d vote for any of the Democrats over Trump. But that doesn’t mean I think they could all win…
I love Bernie, but he’s likely Trump’s dream opponent this time around. Given the strength of Trump’s base, and his inevitable declaration of victory after he’s acquitted by the Republican controlled Senate, I think he would absolutely trounce Bernie.
Frankly, I’ve never been a Biden fan. He was a force in the Senate, but a very mediocre VP in my opinion. According to Politico, Biden is the only major Dem candidate who does not support legalized marijuana. That position is going to really hurt him in the primaries. If he happens to still get the nomination, his position on cannabis will leave a lot of voters at home in the general election.
Elizabeth Warren is a dynamo. I think she would beat the crap out of Trump in any debate. And Trump’s best line of attack against her would be his continued racist references to “Pocahontas.” I think Warren would beat Trump in a general election, and I would enthusiastically support her.
I’m a huge fan of Pete Buttigieg, and hopping he continues his spectacular rise all the way to the nomination and the White House. It’s not just his position on the issues. I think he contrasts very favorably in a one-on-one race with Trump. He’s the one top-tier candidate who I genuinely believe will energize voters in a way none of the older candidates could. It’s time to pass the torch.
My perception of the 2016 presidential campaign history is that by attacking Sanders and declaring him unelectable from the very beginning, the Democrat establishment unwillingly helped elect Trump.
How is Biden’20 different from Clinton’16 on issues? Or do you think she was OK on issues, and all we need to win is a Democratic “guy you’d want to have a beer with”?
I can’t believe I’m agreeing with Mike Striar again. Within this field, Pete Buttigieg would make the best President and has the best chance to win back the swing states (WOMP) that will decide this election.
Biden is only polling well because of name recognition. Have you seen him recently? tRump will tear him apart on stage. Biden would also make a terrible POTUS. He fancies himself a foreign policy expert, and yet he has been exactly wrong on every major foreign policy issue of his lifetime: against Gulf War I, for Gulf War II, against both surges. I think Obama only brought him in to the fold to find out what Biden thinks and do the opposite.
Bernie and Warren are too far left to win.
I am leaning for Mayor Pete. Believe it or not, I’m still open to any candidate. BUT, we shouldn’t be wasting our time relitigating 2016, that’s what Trump wants. If the dem falls for that, he may win. We need to look forward, not backwards(that’s the Trumpers job). The fact is in this election Trump is going to have to defend ripping children away from their parents (without a plan to bring them together), building a wall paid for the Mexicans and many other ridiculous promises to get his base excited. If the dems don’t win this seat, they need to dig real deep and do some soul searching.
The other thing that is being overlooked is that no one can assume just because you beat someone in the primaries, doesn’t necessarily translate to votes…they still have to work for those votes. I think that is a lesson that still needs to be learned.
“Biden is only polling well because of name recognition” This has been the story line for a year.
Poll out today: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/20/joe-biden-iowa-poll-101192.
I guess those Iowa voters aren’t paying attention and are relying on name recognition