Dear Bernie Sanders: Enough already

[Galraedia]

I can’t decide what makes me more sick and tired: Bernie Sanders or being sick and tired of Bernie Sanders.

Four years ago, Sanders’ refusal to accept the reality that he was not going to be the Democratic nominee for president dragged the 2016 primary race with Hillary Clinton all the way to the party convention in July — undoubtedly damaging her candidacy.

Four years later it’s like watching the same bad movie again. In 2020, Sanders has even less chance of overtaking Joe Biden. He’s performed worse than he did in 2016. Since the South Carolina primary, Biden has trounced him nearly everywhere they have faced off, and usually by double digits. Every theory Sanders had about the race — that he could mobilize white working-class voters to support him and that he would bring new voters to the polls — has been proven wrong.

The view of the party rank and file has been unambiguous: they want Joe. Indeed, a good part of the reason for Biden’s Lazarus-like rise, after poor showings in the early primary states, was widespread fear, among Democrats, of Sanders being the party standard bearer. Sorry Bernie, it wasn’t the establishment blocking your path — it was you.

Yet, Sanders trudges on, convinced that he has a “narrow path” to win the nomination. Forget for a moment that he would need to win approximately 59 percent of the vote in the remaining primaries to prevail. Is there even one state where Sanders can realistically beat Biden? Next week, voters in Wisconsin will cast ballots in the state’s primary. Sanders beat Clinton there four years ago by 13 points. The latest polls have him trailing Biden by 15 points. Will he drop out if he can’t even win there? Ha!

Read more: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/03/opinion/dear-bernie-sanders-enough-already/