Should Joe move to the left?

[DonaldsRump]

I think so, but the question is to what degree.

I actually do like BS, and I am glad he is out there. We do have to harness his movement. At least out here in Northern California, there are TONS of people that support him, and we need EVERYONE to vote on November 3.

MFA is an example. I absolutely believe that everyone should have a reasonable basic level of healthcare as a right. Equally, if you want to pay more and have conveniences etc, you should also be able to get private insurance. That's what's done in many countries around the world so I see no reason why that cannot be the case here.

Perhaps I am oversimplifying things, but at least some movement to the left, after negotiations between Joe and Bernie, will help unite us. I don't think it is impossible if one basic concept is kept in mind: change is incremental. A revolution, like the French Revolution, probably is not the most effective way to win this election. But that CLEARLY does not mean that Joe, if he is nominated, can't take real steps to address the progressive moment on issues by engaging in collaborative discussions with BS and perhaps picking a VP candidate (hint, hint: Elizabeth Warren).

I am neither as dumb or as smart as you may think I am, so feel free to fire away! Let's build the consensus TOGETHER and move forward as a real juggernaut.

[Meadowoak]

1. Yes!

[George II]

2. He should stay right where he is.

[PatSeg]

16. According to his plans,

he has already moved left of Obama. It is inevitable. Times have changed and people are ready for a more progressive agenda. Hillary also moved left in 2016. It is what Democratic voters want.

[True Blue American]

51. Joe is winning because of his moderate

Plans for the country. He needs to stick with the values he has had all his life.

[tman]

3. No, he should keep doing what's he's doing. The voters approve.

In record numbers.

[HarlanPepper]

4. Fuck no.

[el_bryanto]

47. Do you think the Democratic Party in general should move to the left

or stay where it is?

nt

[HarlanPepper]

49. Fuck no.

[el_bryanto]

54. Which direction should they move? I mean do you feel like Obama's policies were too far left?

I would guess not given your avatar.

Bryant

[BGBD]

67. He doesn't have to

move left. He can just picks some of the most popular progressive policies to adopt. Legal weed and guaranteed paid family leave for everyone are easy first steps right now.

[TwilightZone]

5. Joe should be Joe.

Joe clearly appeals to the majority of Democrats and left-leaning Independents as he is now, and he leads Trump in approval ratings, swing states, and pretty much everything relevant to November. Why should he change? Besides, voters see through that.

The time to set the agenda is after one wins the race. Can't set the agenda if we don't win first. If we want Joe to sign progressive legislation, get him a solid Congress that will place that legislation on his desk.

[msongs]

6. medicare for all...who want it. leave a choice, makes more ppl ok with it nt

[SiliconValley_Dem]

7. Why should he? He's cleaning Sanders' clock exactly where he's at

Would be foolish to tinker with what is working.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

8. That question splains EXACTLY why Bernie should be the Democratic nominee!!

Bernie/Elizabeth or Elizabeth/Bernie 2020!!
Either way, they're stronger together & can't be bought!!
Jump on the Bernie Bandwagon & join the revolution!!

[TwilightZone]

9. No, it shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how we got here.

And how we win in November.

Joe is decisively beating Sanders pretty much everywhere because of who he is. The same is true with regard to why he's leading Trump in approval, swing states, and everything related to November.

[Johnny2X2X]

10. No!

I am left of Joe, but I don't want a candidate who blows in the wind and won't fight for what he believes in.

For the record, I think Joe will get more accomplished than Bernie could have for liberal policies, I think him fighting from his position makes progress more likely.

[Squinch]

14. This. Yes. Well said.

[pandr32]

11. Good Gawd--he is already a Democrat

...and as a trusted one with an eight year record of service as VP he is clearly to the left of those running our government now.

Please, for the sake of not being where we presently are, can we just focus on building a coalition to wipe the rot out of our current plague (maladministration)?

Nothing else can happen if we lose our country.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

17. The coalition should include Bernie supporters, but the negative comments sure don't help!!

In the end, we MUST unite behind either Bernie or Joe, if we are to have any hope in defeating the Fascist-in-Chief!!


Bernie/Elizabeth or Elizabeth/Bernie 2020!!
Either way, they're stronger together & can't be bought!!
Jump on the Bernie Bandwagon & join the revolution!!

[TwilightZone]

23. We don't need people who push conspiracy theories and post doctored videos.

That subset of Sanders supporters were never going to vote for Biden, regardless.

[brush]

28. They're welcome to join. We don't want to see 2016 again.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

43. SAYING they're welcome and ACTING like they're welcome are two different things.

(Not in response to anything you specifically said.)


Bernie/Elizabeth or Elizabeth/Bernie 2020!!
Either way, they're stronger together & can't be bought!!
Jump on the Bernie Bandwagon & join the revolution!!

[brush]

44. Bury the hatchet already with the complaints. It's over. Time to unite to beat trump.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

46. Tell that to your fellow Biden supporters...the attacks on Bernie & his supporters is outta control!

Bernie/Elizabeth or Elizabeth/Bernie 2020!!
Either way, they're stronger together & can't be bought!!
Jump on the Bernie Bandwagon & join the revolution!!

[brush]

55. Are you serious? Sanders has been attacking the party for 5 years. And what about the...

Last edited Wed Mar 11, 2020, 04:40 PM - Edit history (1)

doctored videos of Biden?

[pandr32]

60. It isn't about whether they can be bought or not

It is about if you are happy with DT or not.
It is about if you want a future or not.
This is our last shot at saving our country.

[pandr32]

58. It is Joe

Bernie has a less than 1% chance according to 538, less enthusiasm from his base than in 2016, a recent heart attack, and a pandemic to face.
The fat lady is belting out her encore.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

62. Hardly! Does Joe currently have the advantage? Obviously, but it's still far from over...

Besides, another couple weeks won't hurt anything... we're still in MARCH!!


Bernie/Elizabeth or Elizabeth/Bernie 2020!!
Either way, they're stronger together & can't be bought!!
Jump on the Bernie Bandwagon & join the revolution!!

[pandr32]

64. Right

[Demsrule86]

70. It is over...there are only 7 states left with 100 or more delegates...and Sanders

will lose five badly... the other two, Sanders will also lose but not as badly...he is done and should concede. The math is the math.

[Perseus]

12. He should move to become a progressive

M4A is not a "left" thing, it is progressive because a bigger push than to wish it is needed, same as "Free Education".

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

48. M4A is popular for a reason!! Thankfully, we have Bennie promoting it!!

Bernie/Elizabeth or Elizabeth/Bernie 2020!!
Either way, they're stronger together & can't be bought!!
Jump on the Bernie Bandwagon & join the revolution!!

[Politicub]

76. In certain income bands, the ACA plans are more affordable than Medicare

My husband has Medicare and uses a part B provider. I have coverage through the ACA. Our income is in the range of where we receive a generous subsidy. It makes the monthly cost of my coverage about the same as his part B amount. My max out of pocket is about $800, so I'm basically getting everything -- prescriptions, etc. -- for no copays. He, on the other hand, has to pay facility fees for surgery centers (he is having cataract surgery, and will end up paying about $800 per eye under medicare).

If I were to have the same surgery, since I've met my max out of pocket, it would cost me $0.

It's true that insurance is too expensive for people over a certain income, and deductibles are ridiculous. There are people in conservative states who are being deprived of medicaid coverage because they didn't expand the program.

Building on the ACA could lead to a better Medicare. The public option, which Biden endorses, will be closer to Bernie's vision for Medicare for All than traditional Medicare is today. The public option will be a single-payer option.

I think, if they have an intelligent, nuanced discussion, that Sanders and Biden can accomplish the same goals by building on the ACA as a platform.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

79. I WISH you were right... I'm not so sure. TBH, I think were already beyond the point of no return

given the deep hole the Gameshow-Host-in-Chief has dug for our country!! It feels like we're over a cliff... the only uncertainty is when do we go splat!!


Bernie/Elizabeth or Elizabeth/Bernie 2020!!
Either way, they're stronger together & can't be bought!!
Jump on the Bernie Bandwagon & join the revolution!!

[Politicub]

81. I am for Bernie's MFA plan. It's just not really Medicare as we have it today.

That's why I think the ACA may be the way to get there that's closer to Bernie's vision. I could be wrong, but we're both on the same side I think with viewing healthcare as a human right.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

85. ABSOLUTELY!! RESPECT!!

Bernie/Elizabeth or Elizabeth/Bernie 2020!!
Either way, they're stronger together & can't be bought!!
Jump on the Bernie Bandwagon & join the revolution!!

[Demsrule86]

71. Yeah well M4A isn't going to survive the heartbreaking pictures of old people being left to die

with nothing but a little oxygen in Italy as they suffocate or the coming rationing plan out of the UK. We can do better. We can use a public option to immediately improve the ACA and reinstate premium support...and then obtain universal coverage.

[fleabiscuit]

13. "Joe Biden is a Hard-Core Liberal." On the issues. nt

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

15. Would it really matter if Joe (or should I say, "President Joe") moves left?

It's up to voters to put a Dem House majority, and a Dem Senate super-majority in place. Let them work out how to improve, bolster, replace, existing healthcare approaches. If it's an improvement, and both houses pass it, I'd bet Joe would sign. He might want some clue as to how it's paid for, but I'd bet most plans could be paid for within the current medical/industrial complex of spending.

A BS approach (by which I mean Sen Sanders) should address everyone, and address private insurance, veterans administration, medicare and supplementals, medicaid, executive and union "cadillac" plans, TriCare, etc, etc. It's a big job. I hope we can get there, but I'm more of an "incrementalist" (or, in some views, "chicken&quot .

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

18. Why? He seems to be winning with the message he's been using.

And while Bernie has been trying to make him out as a traitor to the proletariat and a corrupt tool of the capitalist oligarchy or some such watered-down '60s Marxist claptrap, in point of fact Biden is solidly liberal and not a "centrist," whatever that even means. Most Democrats, with the exception of some young, mostly non-voting "voters," don't seem to be buying what Bernie is selling, so why should he change his message just so he doesn't get booed by the bros at the convention?

For example, Biden, like all the other candidates, supports universal health care. But universal health care isn't necessarily Medicare for All; it can be any arrangement by which everyone has access to good, affordable health care. Everyone wants that, but there's a cost no matter how it's done, and Bernie has never explained how his version can be paid for. With a 60% top tax rate as in Denmark? That won't fly here, but that's what it costs there. Are Bernie and his supporters going to go to the convention and hold their breath until they turn blue in order to get the party to include M4A in its platform when nobody has been able to explain how to pay for it (Warren came closer but even her numbers have been questioned)?

[RhodeIslandOne]

19. I'm looking forward to a productive debate Sunday

Two men, no crowds, discussing where we need as the left/Democrats to go from here. This is GOOD people.

[Demsrule86]

73. No it won't be like that...Sanders is desperate and thinks he can cross examine Biden.

[DonaldsRump]

20. Wow...looks like I created a firestorm

My fundamental point is that there are things that Joe can do to harness BS's movement. I'm not smart enough to know what they are, but I would much rather we find some areas together.

I agree that my man Joe is the right person at the right time. But are there meaningful things he can do?

[TwilightZone]

29. Joe is already addressing many of the same issues.

The goals are similar, the methods are where the differences reside. The differences between the two are often overblown by Sanders and his supporters, because that's his thing - he stands alone as the solution to everything and alternatives aren't acceptable. That's a silly assertion, of course, but it makes it appear there's a huge chasm between the two when there simply isn't.

Since you mentioned M4A, I'll use it as an example. Biden believes that we should move toward universal health care, including a public option. While the end result isn't the same as M4A, it's much more realistic, much more likely to be implemented, and much less likely to disrupt the whole system for a time.

Sanders supporters insist that it's all or nothing, and even Sanders has said that Biden wants to return 80 million people to uninsured/underinsured, which is complete nonsense.

There's really finding middle ground when one side of the equation is intractable and uses rhetoric that is clearly false.

https://joebiden.com/healthcare/

[redstatebluegirl]

21. I started to write a response and curbed it afraid of being reported again.

Short answer NO, do you really think losing all of the country except for the coasts is a good idea?

[RandySF]

22. To make bitter-enders happy? No

[beachbumbob]

24. Joe needs not move any where, first thing a Biden admin has to do is

fix all trump and gop has broken. That will take time even with a democratic senate and house

[Baked Potato]

25. Bernie needs to give Joe a political "opening"

to get some consensus between them. It can’t just be either/or. If Bernie wants to beat Trump, he needs to meet with Joe and hammer out some connective campaign issues to unite the Party.

[zaj]

26. He already has, and has some room to move a bit more.

But Medicare Public Option is about as far left as he can on healthcare.

College loan forgiveness? Yes.
Free 4-year degrees from community colleges? Yes.
Climate change? Yes.
Election reform? Yes.
Money is politics? Yes.
Return to Clinton tax rates? Yes.

Lots of common ground and space to move left. But there are limits to that movement. Or we will lose.

[Perseus]

30. The only in your list that are, not "left", but progressive are

College Loan Forgiveness & only half of the "Free 4 years of Community Colleges", although most community colleges only have two-year degrees.

I don't know that he ever said "four year", that is a bachelor's degree, I think Joe stopped at "two-year" degrees.

This is right from his website:

"Vice President Biden proposed to make two years of community college tuition-free for hard-working students."

The difference with Sanders is that ALL EDUCATION, not private, will be FREE, the way if should be.

And to me, this is troubling (from his website as well):
And, students who do want a bachelor’s degree could then transfer to a four-year school, including to Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions that play vital roles in their communities.

It doesn't seem, from that statement that it is a universal coverage? Only "Minority-Serving"???

[Siwsan]

27. I bet Joe will listen to, and weigh, all kinds of ideas from all kinds of people.

I pretty much trust his judgement and ability to keep an open mind.

[Perseus]

37. You must know him well. I hope you are right.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

50. I hope so too, though I have my doubts based on Joe's OWN WORDS on the campaign trail!!

Bernie/Elizabeth or Elizabeth/Bernie 2020!!
Either way, they're stronger together & can't be bought!!
Jump on the Bernie Bandwagon & join the revolution!!

[elleng]

31. No, there's a reason he did as well as he did,

right now U.S. electorate wants sanity and moderation.

Sanity will remain, and in future years the populace may agree left is better (to some extent,) but not now.

[budkin]

32. Absolutely!

No other choice if he wants Bernie voters’ support.

[Mme. Defarge]

33. No.

[progressoid]

34. States rights are to the left aren't they?

[Mme. Defarge]

35. Should Bernie respect and support

the Democratic “establishment”?

[question everything]

36. Define "left'

My initial response would be NO! But I am willing to hear your definition.

Medicare for all? NO! At least, not now. The main reason why Biden is ahead, the main reason why we have not heard about this form Harris, Booker and Warren was because it cannot win votes.

We flipped the house by moderates. By promoting the ACA. Biden ran on improving the ACA. Let him.

And, frankly, for the second time Sanders got close on destroying the party. Perhaps he, and his supporters still want to.

Let Sanders and his "revolutionaries" form their own party. Or, let them come to us, in the middle to work together.

Under no circumstances, in my opinion, should Biden cower to them. This will be a certain way to lose in November.

[Perseus]

39. Medicare for all NOT? Because what?

70 percent of Americans support 'Medicare for all' proposal
https://thehill.com/hilltv/what-americas-thinking/412545-70-percent-of-americans-support-medicare-for-all-health-care

Where does it come from that "people don't want, would not support Medicare For All"???

No, we did not flip the house by moderates, AOC is not a moderate, and none of the people who were elected to flip the house.

That is not a good sentence "And, frankly, for the second time Sanders got close on destroying the party. Perhaps he, and his supporters still want to."...How did he "almost destroy" the party? Please explain.

Moving to progressive stands is not "cowering" to anyone, it means he is listening to what the majority want. Unless a progressive gets in power nothing useful will be done in this country, it will be more of the same. Yes, the goal in this election is to remove the current administration, those are the ones destroying everything, but to blame Sanders for something like that? Please explain in some detail how Sanders "almost destroyed" the Democratic party, maybe I am very ignorant about the facts.

[question everything]

42. And how many of these "70%" understand what it menas?

Time and again the same polls found that, once it is explained to them - elimination of private insurance, trillions of dollars - they do not support it.

AOC did not flip a Republican seat. She and her pals were elected from safe Democratic seats.

You do not consider blaming the "Democratic establishment" an attempt to destroy the party? Perhaps I should have added: the party as we know it that clearly is not what you prefer.

Yes, cowering. The majority does not want M4A, at least not now. Or were you asleep last Tuesday and yesterday?

[Perseus]

65. Please...What is there to understand?

Free healthcare with a little bit of a raise in taxes.

Instead of no healthcare with a bit of raise in taxes plus a bit of a raise in co-payment. plus a bit of a raise in premiums, pus a bit of a raise in medicines that don't cure and only hide the symptoms, plus a bit of less coverage...I mean, what is there to understand?

Please provide those polls that time and time again, after its explained to them, they back their support. The only way I can think of that happening is if republicans, or the insurance industry are doing the explaining, I don't see anything about M4A that would scare anyone.

Can you please provide those polls that "explain" to people what M4A means please? I would love to see them because I have never seen people doing polls explaining anything, if they do then the polls is irrelevant. Polls are supposed to 1) not have leading questions, 2) the people who conduct the polls are not allowed to explain anything to people, polls are supposed to find out what people think, not what people think after you have convinced them of what you want them to believe.

I would love to see the polls you talk about, which of course, are not polls.

[question everything]

66. You may want to do some research before you post what you don't know or understand

Or even read more on these pages because it was posted several times.

Either way, Google is your friend, unless it is, like everything else Sanders says, is "corrupt." The catch all answer

Democratic Voters Don’t Actually Understand ‘Medicare For All,’ New Report Says

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/medicare-for-all-poll-democrats_n_5d08264de4b0886dd15db364

Two-thirds of Democratic voters think that people with employer coverage could hold on to their policies under Medicare for All, according to the Kaiser study, which used a nationally representative sample of more than 1,200 adults.

In reality, both the Sanders proposal and its House counterpart, from Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), would prohibit the sale of private insurance that is “duplicative” of what the new government plan would offer.

That would effectively wipe out existing employer policies. Private insurers could still offer supplemental plans, but only to pay for extras, like cosmetic surgery and premium hospital rooms, that the government plan didn’t cover.

Veterans of past health care policy fights, including many sympathetic to Medicare for All in principle, have warned about this kind of disruption and its potential to alienate voters ― especially with Republicans and with advocacy groups that represent the health care industry already making a big issue out of it.

[TwilightZone]

68. "we did not flip the house by moderates"

That is patently false. The vast majority of pickups were moderate Democrats in purple or right-leaning districts.

AOC didn't flip a seat. She kept a D seat in a very blue district.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-house-will-have-just-as-many-moderate-democrats-as-progressives-next-year/

https://www.vox.com/2018/11/7/18071700/progressive-democrats-house-midterm-elections-2018

[Arkansas Granny]

38. Right now he should keep doing what he's doing. If he moves left at this point, he may not

get the moderate voters he needs to defeat Trump. He can always move further left after he takes office and has a Democratic Congress to work with.

[Perseus]

41. Very sensible advise to Biden.

If it ain't broken? don't fix it.

Good one Arkansas Granny.

[eissa]

40. He needs to

He already has the moderate coalition in line. He needs (hell, the party definitely needs) the younger voters. Are we just going to have two parties comprised mainly of elderly people, with a large swath of young left out in the cold? Joe has a solid record of conservative positions, he can afford to move left on a few policies to help motivate younger voters to turn out.

[totodeinhere]

45. I think that is one reason why Bernie is staying in the race. He hopes that it will push Joe to the

left.

[brokephibroke]

52. Not now

We are now in the general election. We need joe to act like he is already potus, starting with naming his economic and hhs team.

[Kahuna7]

53. No. nt

[Buzz cook]

56. Joe should address issues that are important

to a majority of voters.

What policies are popular with the majority of voters.

Those policies and issues tend to be to the "left" of what Biden projects.

It certainly is possible for Biden to at least give lip service to theses things while still keeping his centrist credibility.

[karynnj]

57. No, he is winning the primary where he is positioned

People always spoke of moving to the left in the primaries and into the center for the general election.

Although Sanders and others on his side claimed he has won the ideological battle, other than their declaring that, what makes it true?

I heard Sanders obnoxious end to his speech - where he essentially took essentially every Democratic issue - including ones that Biden and others have fought for their entire careers and positioned "Joe" as against them and demanding to know why.

In some ways, this is what I have seen on twitter. I have seen hundreds of people responding to Kerry's WWZero actions on climate change demanding to know - why, if he was for fighting climate change, he did not endorse Bernie. The fact is that Kerry, Gore, Markey and many others have tons more credibility on this issue. Though Kerry was clearly the essential negotiator to get the Paris Accords, Obama gave him the backing to do so and as teh US/China agreement was reached, many people in the Obama administration helped get the rest of the world on board - including the VP! As to Sanders, I can think of NOTHING he did on this issue in the Senate or the House - other than sign on to the Green New Deal.

Elizabeth Warren in her comments on Biden had a succinct defense against Sanders' nonsense. In addition to saying Joe Biden was a decent person, she said that their goals were in the same direction. All of the animosity sprouted by Sanders in that "Joe" part of the speech was that Biden would not commit to exactly what the "revolution" demanded - forgetting that Senator Sanders in 2010 said there were only 10 Senators for M$A. He KNOWS that even if he became President -- he could not get Congress to pass that!

[showblue22]

59. Fuck NO!

Hillary adopted almost all Bernie's positions and it ended up hurting her with her coalition.

[zackymilly]

61. No. Joe is winning with where he is. You don't change horses in the middle of a stream. n/t

[Demsrule86]

63. No.

[honest.abe]

69. Joe is doing great just where he is.

He is capturing voters we lost in 2016. It would crazy to change course now... irrespective of Sanders' threats.

[Politicub]

72. I think he should broaden the coalition through empathy

I don't think that's a leftward move. It's more of an acknowledgement of Sanders' base and their hurts and needs.

Biden began this process in his Tuesday speech where he asked them to join us. I hope Sanders helps.

[comradebillyboy]

74. Seems odd to think that the winner should emulate

the loser. Perhaps if Sanders had moderated his message and moved to the center he might have been more successful. Now he's in no position to impose his purity tests on Joe.

[empedocles]

77. 'seems odd to emulate the loser'? - not here on DU [some never seem to learn]

[frazzled]

75. No candidate ever moves to the left for the general

The point is to capture as many people in the country as possible, not to alienate the majority while pandering to a minority.
Moving to the left is for primaries. Moderating is for the general. The primaries are now no longer in question, and the farther left proposals have shown to be losing. We are pretty much heading into general election territory right now.

The suggestion that Biden should now move to the left is entirely bad political advice, I hope not intentionally so.

[DonaldsRump]

80. Intentionally bad advice???

You need to chill with that condescending tone.

The idea here is to get more voters to support Joe and the down ballot Ds.

It's just a question as to how we get more voters, like younger voters. The ones I know are still apathetic. Not getting the youth vote, for example, is a real problem. There are many things one could do to "move to the left" (e.g., make Elizabeth Warren the VP) that will consolidate, rather than fragment, the vote.

To reiterate, the issue here is getting as many votes as possible. Someone else suggested "empathy" with the progressive movement. Maybe that's a euphemism to "moving to the left".

When BS drops out and announces he supports Joe, I might agree that "we are pretty much heading into general election territory right now." That hasn't happened, and if Joe can unify the base of likely voters to include some folks who are apathetic, that is much more likely to be a vote for the Ds than a Trump supporter.

[GemDigger]

78. If people wanted to go more to the left then

more people would have voted for Bernie instead of all the others. Don't you think?

[book_worm]

82. Why? He is what he is and has been successful at being it

He may have a more progressive VP, but he's not going to adopt the Sanders platform

[Gothmog]

83. NO, there is no need to

sanders not dropping out may help Biden. sanders keeps on losing primaries by large margins nnly strenghten's Joe's position https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/11/no-surprise-bernie-sanders-is-still-all-about-himself-never-party/

Sanders’s remaining in the race should serve several salutary purposes for the party and the country. First, seeing him lose overwhelmingly week after week will dispel the notion that the Democratic Party has moved left, or that he is in a dominant position to negotiate with the overwhelming winner. It’s not clear why the Biden camp should “give” Sanders anything.

Second, it is good to keep Biden in fighting form, continuing to boost turnout and showing, as he did in Philadelphia, how presidential he is. Biden can pivot to the general election, essentially ignoring Sanders. (His planned speech on the coronavirus is the perfect opportunity to leave Sanders out of the discussion entirely.)....

Whoever is to replace Sanders as the standard-bearer for the left — hopefully someone as smart and wonky as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) — will need to learn how to win elections. (Hint: It is not by scaring voters or attaching oneself to the socialist label.) When in office, a new generation of leaders on the left will need to learn the art of deal-making rather than waste years, as Sanders has, rabble-rousing but accomplishing nothing. Unlike Sanders, Warren (or whoever else takes the reins) will not be burdened by a record of reflexively praising dictators nor be driven to attack fellow Democrats.

Sanders will end the race at some point, a diminished figure. In retrospect, his wins in 2016 will be seen more as an anti-Hillary Clinton vote than a pro-Sanders vote. How he behaves at Sunday’s debate will determine whether he leaves a bad taste in the mouths of Democrats.

[brooklynite]

84. I laid out the reasons NOT to move left yesterday

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287661557