Biden won’t commit to supporting Sanders if he is Nominee

[pie-kun 1,765]

This is not true and the AP issued a correction.  the question he was asked is if whether Bernie could unify the Democratic party as a nominee, not whether Biden would support him. Biden has indicated that he would support Bernie if he won the nomination multiple times, including again today

https://apnews.com/0c9c652ec75fc4d6b14e69006c34d14f

Former Vice President Joe Biden wouldn’t say Tuesday whether he thinks Bernie Sanders could effectively unify the Democrats if the Vermont senator wins the party’s presidential nomination.

“We have to unite,” Biden told reporters in Muscatine, six days before the Iowa caucuses. “I’m not going make judgments now. I just think that it depends upon how we treat one another between now and the time we have a nominee.”

Biden has previously promised to support the Democratic nominee, regardless of who it is. At some stops along the campaign trail, Biden has pledged to “work like hell” to help any of his rivals defeat Trump. The Biden campaign said Tuesday afternoon that the former vice president would support the eventual nominee

 

This story has been corrected to show that Biden was questioned on whether Sanders could unite the party as the nominee, not whether Biden would support Sanders if he’s the nominee.

[Nikolai Barrow 1,337]

5 minutes ago, Economy said:

This is why when ppl say he has a better shot at beating Trump than Biden because he energizes the crowd and would increase voter turnout among supporters... I take that with a bit if a grain of salt because that's not the ONLY factor to consider here

 

U also gotta factor in the votes he'd loose from centrists who'd rather vote from Trump than a Left Wingers that would offset some of the higher turnout to get an actual full picture

 

Although someone did point out that since he's by far the most popular among independents it may more than make up for any centrist voters he looses

 

Guess we will just have to see

Let me clarify. By centrists I meant democratic establishment. He's polled very well going against Trump better than any other candidate infact. He doesn't have to win over the democratic establishment because they are a very small portion of the population. We will see but the voters really seem to be behind him. In a recent poll he was ranked as the most popular senator in american for the 11th time in a row!

The thing is in america right now the american  people feel abandoned by the ruling class. That's why Trump won because he talked about draining the swamp and ending the corruption in Washington. We all know he didn't do any of that and he is incredibly corrupt himself. But the last thing the Democrats need is to put in another establishment candidate like they did with Hillary in 2016.

Bernie's policies poll well with people across the political spectrum. The american people overwhelmingly want universal health care they want a higher minimum wage they want something to be done about climate change. The reason Bernie is doing well is because he is talking about issues that matter to the majority of americans. 

[Gagaloo911 12,959]

1 minute ago, Economy said:

Let's be completely fair here tho. Bernie had always run as an independent most of his career. He has never been a typical democrat and he's had to use the democratic platform to have any chance of winning

 

The whole unity thing... He's not really a democrat, only by name and on paper now. The last few decades he was never a democrat

 

i think the double standards are petty and unfair but I'm also not entirely surprised the party has not fully accepted him...

 

hes someone that up until running for presidency didn't identify as a democrat so there's gonna be that rift

 

to be clear this is not to defend Biden's nonsense. I'm just pointing out why Bernie in part may be getting treated differently by the party cuz ppl cant seem to fathom a reason why

Let's be real here, we all know it has very little to do with him not having been a Democrat.

The DNC had no problem changing the rules in 2016 to let him run in the primary. If that really was the issue, there would have been more pushback.

This is just a convenient argument for Democratic party insiders and surrogates to turn to. 

The real concern they have is that Bernie represents an existential threat to establishment politics and the Democratic party as a whole because he wants to significantly change the status quo.

With campaign finance reform and his other plans, these would put at risk the establishment's hold on power, and, even more importantly, the big weight party donors who rule them, the money they handout to the party, and the precious tax cuts they desire. 

As with most things, it just comes down to money and power. Bernie represents everything that wants to change that, and the Democratic establishment that so enjoys the power and money it has does not want that to change, even if it would significantly better the American political system and American people's lives. 

The establishment freaking out about Bernie and going after him as they are has almost nothing to do with him not have a D next to his name. 

[President Biden 5,898]

 Where has Bernie committee to supporting Joe if he’s the nominee?

 

the double standards

 

and as a soon to be member of the Biden campaign team, this is a disappointing statement. Biden (like most candidates) signed on to the early unity pledge and I expect him to stick by it. 

[Gagaloo911 12,959]

10 minutes ago, pie-kun said:

This is not true and the AP issued a correction.  the question he was asked is if whether Bernie could unify the Democratic party as a nominee, not whether Biden would support him. Biden has indicated that he would support Bernie if he won the nomination multiple times, including again today

https://apnews.com/0c9c652ec75fc4d6b14e69006c34d14f

Former Vice President Joe Biden wouldn’t say Tuesday whether he thinks Bernie Sanders could effectively unify the Democrats if the Vermont senator wins the party’s presidential nomination.

“We have to unite,” Biden told reporters in Muscatine, six days before the Iowa caucuses. “I’m not going make judgments now. I just think that it depends upon how we treat one another between now and the time we have a nominee.”

Biden has previously promised to support the Democratic nominee, regardless of who it is. At some stops along the campaign trail, Biden has pledged to “work like hell” to help any of his rivals defeat Trump. The Biden campaign said Tuesday afternoon that the former vice president would support the eventual nominee

 

This story has been corrected to show that Biden was questioned on whether Sanders could unite the party as the nominee, not whether Biden would support Sanders if he’s the nominee.

Well, if this is the case, then okay. I'm glad Biden didn't say that and that he would support the nominee no matter who. 

Everything I've said in this thread though, apart from what I've mentioned relating to Biden and centrist candidates not committing to supporting the nominee no matter who, still holds however. 

Also, I'd really like to see this "support" Biden claims he'd do for Bernie if Bernie is the nominee, to see how that compares to the 30+ rallies and events Bernie did for Hillary in 2016.

[Gagaloo911 12,959]

3 minutes ago, Halsey said:

 Where has Bernie committee to supporting Joe if he’s the nominee?

 

the double standards

 

and as a soon to be member of the Biden campaign team, this is a disappointing statement. Biden (like most candidates) signed on to the early unity pledge and I expect him to stick by it. 

Did you even watch the Democratic debate this month? 

Because I did. And Bernie committed to supporting the eventual nominee no matter who it was on the stage.

Go watch the debate to see for yourself. 

[Nikolai Barrow 1,337]

7 minutes ago, Halsey said:

 Where has Bernie committee to supporting Joe if he’s the nominee?

 

the double standards

 

and as a soon to be member of the Biden campaign team, this is a disappointing statement. Biden (like most candidates) signed on to the early unity pledge and I expect him to stick by it. 

Bernie has said multiple times he will support whoever's the nominee is . . . He said it literally in the last debate.

He campaigned heavily for Hillary after she got the nomination as well. Far more than Hillary did for Obama when he won the nomination.  He has expressed he feels anyone of the candidates would be a better president than Trump.

[Nikolai Barrow 1,337]

1 minute ago, Gagaloo92 said:

Did you even watch the Democratic debate this month? 

Because I did. And Bernie committed to supporting the eventual nominee no matter who it was on the stage.

Go watch the debate to see for yourself. 

Beat me to it haha

[pie-kun 1,765]

For the people claiming Bernie did more events for Hillary than Hillary did for Obama, Hillary was doing an event nearly every day for Obama from the day she conceded to the day of the election.

From a 2008 article in the Boston Globe:

http://epaper.bostonglobe.com/BostonGlobe/article_popover.aspx?guid=08bd33a4-f874-4b35-aae4-8ea8d7d9577a&source=prev

Clinton and her husband would attend about 100 events including fund-raisers, rallies, and media interviews, pitching Obama in the 156 days from when she conceded to him in June to the November general election.\

 

[StarstruckIllusion 53,580]

Divisive Rat 🤢🤢🤢

[ItsTommyBitch 12,640]

1 minute ago, Economy said:

Let's be completely fair here tho. Bernie had always run as an independent most of his career. He has never been a typical democrat and he's had to use the democratic platform to have any chance of winning

 

The whole unity thing... He's not really a democrat, only by name and on paper now. The last few decades he was never a democrat

 

i think the double standards are petty and unfair but I'm also not entirely surprised the party has not fully accepted him...

 

hes someone that up until running for presidency didn't identify as a democrat so there's gonna be that rift

 

to be clear this is not to defend Biden's nonsense. I'm just pointing out why Bernie in part may be getting treated differently by the party cuz ppl cant seem to fathom a reason why

I'm aware of all of this, and it still isn't a valid reasoning in my view for a couple of reasons.

Establishment Democrats hate Bernie because he threatens their existence as corporatists, not because he doesn't share their values as Democrats.  That's the crux of this issue, and why the campaign to smear him has always been about taking the words and actions of other people and ascribing it to him in order to convince the electorate of the opposite - that he doesn't share their values, when in reality he has been more consistent in his values that are in line with the Democrats than the plurality of all Democrats in elected office.

For example: Joe Rogan said something transphobic, racist, and sexist according to establishment Democratic figures means that it is fair game to either directly accuse or allege non chalantly that Bernie himself is Transphobic, Racist, and Sexist (and therefore, not a Democrat)

In reality, the policies he proposes are overwhelmingly popular with people who identify both as democrats and republicans in many cases, so there is not a real dispute about whether he is representative of the Democratic Party's political interests. It would be one thing if Bernie got up on stage and said we need to criminalize abortion. But, this is the political strategy of the establishment - to make that scenario seem like reality in the minds of voters. Instead, they know that Bernie does not believe that corruption is acceptable from Reps OR Dems. They don't want Bernie to enact campaign finance laws that restrict their ability to raise money in exchange for political favors, they don't want publicly funded elections, they don't want a constitutional amendment to outlaw dark money, they don't want ANY of that, - it challenges their power, plain and simple. The thing is, the people DO want this. So, the "Democratic Party" (as in the people in charge of the DNC, their employees, etc.) is out of sync with the Democratic Electorate (the people who identify as Democrats, and vote for Democratic ideas via democratic representatives. We the people, lol)

Unfortunately, I just don't buy that Democrats are just all extremely tight knit loyalists who will never believe or trust someone who hasnt always been a Democrat. This falls apart when you have to contend with the fact that they often DO support people who have not been Democrats in the past - even those who have been Republicans in the past, and crucially even people whose values don't match theirs on key issues to their own stated agenda, etc. The connective tissue is more about their priorities and what amount of discord they can handle while maintaining power. They are essentially saying on one hand, if you are you pro-life, pro cutting social safety net measures, anti gun regulation, etc. You can still have a place in the Democratic party, but if you bring up corruption, you do not   These Democrats are not attacked by the establishment as "not real Dems", even though they sometimes vote down Democratic proposals when it matters   (So, they actively hurt Dems from time to time) Nancy Pelosi and the DCCC endorsed an anti-gay, racist and anti-woman candidate for the Democratic party recently over a progressive challenger... and there was very little fanfare over that. 

Also, it's a blatant rewriting of history for people like Hillary to come out and say "nobody likes him" (referring to Congress) Bernie Sanders has voted in line with Democrats against Republicans when it mattered,  he has abstained, or voted in protest of ineffective bills, but was never the kind of politician to say that "I will hold up this bill on a moral ground that it doesn't do enough" with his vote - he has compromised plenty with Dems and Republicans. He would not have been in government for that long if he didn't, let alone maintain high favorabilities. Furthermore, he was often thought of as an adjacent part of the Democratic party - an assumed vote for them despite being an Independent. Democratic leadership has even given him important leadership roles during his time in congress because of his reliability, so clearly they don't have trust issues with him and he is somewhat respected. 

Their vitriol towards him now seems to be political theater for the most part, though some individuals like Barney Frank have always hated him. Something Warren got wrong at the last debate is this idea that only she and Klobuchar had beaten Republicans in recent history (30 years) Bernie Sanders beat an Incumbent Republican in the rural state of Vermont and broke a 144 year stranglehold on the seat. The longest single-party holding of a Senate seat in History. But alas, we can't tell people about this, because it doesnt fit in with our message that rural states, midwestern states, etc. all hate socialism by nature! Vermont isn't actually even a very progressive state, though people assume it is.  It is a very rural and very white state that has a long history of almost solid Republican control in government, despite being a blue state. This is more complex than I care to explain right now in detail, but essentially its because Bernie Sanders knows, as others continue to learn, that a pro trade, pro farmers, pro unions, and ultimately working class agenda is an effective message no matter the political affiliation of the electorate.

However, the narrative of establishment Dems must be that Bernie not only can't beat Trump, but that he can't govern, so we like to just ignore these facts. (Unfortunately, they are public record and young people like myself are very internet savvy!) 

So, I just don't buy "well, he's never been a Democrat before" is a serious reason. That may be a the explicit reason, but it doesn't check out re: his history in Congress, the actions of existing Democrats even in high places who continually violate this reasoning, etc. 

 

[Lilmonzter 2,864]

The hypocrisy is deafening 

Btw sabotage Bernie again and the DNC deserves another 4 years of that tramp

[President Biden 5,898]

53 minutes ago, Gagaloo92 said:

Did you even watch the Democratic debate this month? 

Because I did. And Bernie committed to supporting the eventual nominee no matter who it was on the stage.

Go watch the debate to see for yourself. 

Yeah and he did that last time.
 

1 out of every 10 Sanders supporters still voted Trump in the general. Statements don’t mean **** when you don’t follow through on them

[JusKeepBreathin 19,311]

2 hours ago, HorusRa2 said:

Cherry picking? Then why do people like you tell me I have to vote for the nominee or it’s a vote for Trump. Does that mean Biden could possibly vote for Trump and isn’t that worth all the condemnation you’ve given me since this primary started? You are a HYPOCRITE. 

Because you guys are the ones with a history of Bernie or Bust and 1 out of 10 of you actually voted for Trump. Do I really have to remind you?

[JusKeepBreathin 19,311]

1 hour ago, pie-kun said:

This is not true and the AP issued a correction.  the question he was asked is if whether Bernie could unify the Democratic party as a nominee, not whether Biden would support him. Biden has indicated that he would support Bernie if he won the nomination multiple times, including again today

https://apnews.com/0c9c652ec75fc4d6b14e69006c34d14f

Former Vice President Joe Biden wouldn’t say Tuesday whether he thinks Bernie Sanders could effectively unify the Democrats if the Vermont senator wins the party’s presidential nomination.

“We have to unite,” Biden told reporters in Muscatine, six days before the Iowa caucuses. “I’m not going make judgments now. I just think that it depends upon how we treat one another between now and the time we have a nominee.”

Biden has previously promised to support the Democratic nominee, regardless of who it is. At some stops along the campaign trail, Biden has pledged to “work like hell” to help any of his rivals defeat Trump. The Biden campaign said Tuesday afternoon that the former vice president would support the eventual nominee

 

This story has been corrected to show that Biden was questioned on whether Sanders could unite the party as the nominee, not whether Biden would support Sanders if he’s the nominee.

So as it turn out @HorusRa2 really is cherry picking stories that don't even have a basis in fact. 

PretendsToBeShocked.gif