Sanders, not Warren, is the spoiler of the revolution

by | Mar 5, 2020 | 2020 elections, Editor's Blog, Politics | 6 comments

The Sandernista’s are apoplectic about Elizabeth Warren staying in the race. The way they see it, Warren is the chief obstacle to Bernie’s revolution and a united progressive front. If she drops out, they reason, Bernie will gain a head of steam that could take him to the nomination. 

They’ve got it wrong, though. Bernie is the one who should have dropped out in favor of Warren before the voting even began. Warren doesn’t have nearly as low a ceiling as Sanders. She could have expanded her coalition and cut into support from moderate voters. If Sanders weren’t in the race, there’s a good chance the primary would come down to Biden versus Warren and the Senator from Massachusetts would be in a far better position to secure the nomination than the Senator from Vermont. 

Sanders has failed to expand his coalition since 2016 and election returns indicate that it may even have shrunk. His rhetoric is divisive, not inviting. He spends as much time running against “the establishment” as he does promoting his progressive agenda. His most ardent supporters share more similarities with crowds at Trump rallies than they do with mainstream voters. They attack, belittle and harass the people they consider enemies. At a Sanders’ rally last week, they booed the press. For people who are as concerned about Trump’s temperament and authoritarian instincts as they are about his conservative policies, Sanders and his minion don’t offer much comfort. 

Sanders and his allies are also mistaken about picking up all of Warren’s support. People support Warren for far more reasons than they do Sanders. There are people who aren’t nearly as far to the left as Sanders who believe it’s time for a woman president. With the choice of two men, they’re more ideologically in tune with Biden than Sanders. Other people may have been drawn to her for her style, her detailed plans and her upbeat demeanor. They’re not going support a guy who dismisses her plans with a metaphorical wave of his hand.

Warren also has, or had, a higher ceiling than Bernie. Sanders’ support was limited to the left-wing of the party, most of whom are very young and the least reliable voters. Warren had support from young people, college educated voters and women of all ages. Had Bernie dropped out and endorsed Warren, almost all of his support would have gone to Warren, giving her the base to compete with Biden or any other more moderate candidate. He could have been a kingmaker who watched his revolution flourish under the leadership of an ally. Instead, he’ll likely struggle through the primaries before finally losing to Biden late this spring. 

6 Comments

  1. Beverly

    My dream tickets would be Biden and Warren. Biden would calm the country down and could give Warren a lot of problems to solve so that it would set her up to win the next election. She’s much to “strident” for going directly into a presidency. I see Biden as the calming force to gets us back on track and setting Warren up for the next election to take over the reins. T

  2. N

    Sanders and his supporters constantly railing against “the establishment” reminds me of Trump and his supporters railing against “the deep state.”

  3. MARY C SCOGGIN

    Being a college educated older woman living in Pinehurst, NC, I have NEVER felt “the Bern.” He has been in Congress forever and accomplished nothing.
    He is determined to ruin the Democratic Party. This is evident by his followers and his own actions.
    He is quick to point out that he is NOT a Democrat. Why can’t people believe him? He would be far worse than Trump because he is more vindictive.
    Warren’s followers are much too smart to believe Bernie’s wild promises and I don’t think he will pick up many of them. Especially, after the way his followers treated her.
    I hope everyone moves toward Biden and Bernie burns away forever.

  4. cocodog

    The Warren perspective is refreshing. She seemed to have a handle on what needs to be improved in this country. Healthcare, education and income inequality are major concerns to a sizable number of voters on both sides. Hopefully, Biden will implement some of her ideas and include her in his administration.

  5. Richard Hren

    Interesting viewpoint. I have long wondered if Bernie is more concerned about getting his ideas implemented or being the guy that gets elected. He has a chance now to move the party a little more to his POV and impact the platform by aligning with Biden. . Biden has not won yet, but Bernie is reaching the end, I believe. When that becomes more apparent, Bernie needs to jump on that bandwagon with both feet in exchange for some policy concessions. But, won’t happen. As you so correctly observe, Bernie has more than a little in common with Trump and I fear that reconciliation is not in his DNA.

    • Evan

      And a substantial number of the Bernie Bros will never forgive the Democratic establishment for ganging up on their messiah and denying him the nomination. They would rather take over the Democratic Party than defeat Donald Trump. Many will stay home or vote for a third party candidate next November.

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