[Closed] Pete Buttigieg

Yes, it does seem like Pete made a deal. Before he ended his bid, he made a press statement about Sanders.  That Sanders would be the undoing of the Democrats and he had to be stopped. His statement and his decision to help Biden thrilled Trump because the Republicans and their corporate sponsors are afraid of Sanders and Warren.

Very surprising about Pete. I can only speak for myself, but I think Biden is not our greatest hope. He is very reactive when heckled. He makes a lot of gaffes which make me question his mental clarity.

I think Pete B. did our country a disservice. So sick of Bernie being portrayed in this negative light. If anything, it makes me admire Bernie more.

I fear they (what Sanders would call the "establishment" democratic party) are making a big mistake by attacking Sanders in that way. They risk alienating a substantial number of voters, even beyond the ones who already say they will only vote for Sanders. Given the predictions that Trump/Pence will be out before November, it may be a mistake to assume folks will come out against Trump, even for a candidate they don't like or feel great about, like Biden. I don't know anyone my age (GenX) or younger who supports him, although we will vote "Blue no matter who." If the GOP maneuvers in a more attractive candidate before the fall, that would really shake things up, especially if the democratic party assumes folks will come out in droves against Trump. Hopefully they tone down the attacks and keep in mind that the party needs to come together. And hopefully voters will come out in large numbers regardless of who is on the ticket for each party, just for the sake of preserving our democracy. 

I realize that many people are upset with how establishment Democrats are worried about Sanders and that moderates are concerned that if he is the candidate, then the country will go into bankruptcy due to Sander's policies.

I consider myself a moderate Democrat.  And I will be the first to admit that Sanders is not high on my list of potential candidates.  

It is not so much that I object to his policies (I believe universal health care should be a guarantee for everyone).  My main concerns about Sanders is his overall health (he had a heart attack a few months ago) and the fact that he won't be forthcoming as to the status of his health now.  

As to his policies...again, I feel that the Democratic party will reign him in.  I feel that the moderates will refuse to vote for Sander's policies unless certain concessions are made.  In short, I believe that the Democrats in Congress will act as a separate body of government and will work together with Sanders (or whomever the Democratic candidate will be).  They will not blindly roll over like the Republicans do with Trump.

So no, I am not worried about Sanders in that regard, and if he is the candidate, I will vote for him despite my misgivings.  Having said that, I feel that some of Sanders' supporters need to stop drawing a line in the sand and being so inflexible as to other candidates.  Already, some people are grumbling about how establishment Democrats are taking away Sander's ability to vote.  We already experienced this back in 2016, when neither Hillary Clinton or Sanders had enough regular delegates to win the nomination outright, which meant the nomination would be decided by superdelegates.

Now, the majority of superdelegates did go to Hillary.  But what keeps getting lost in the facts is at the time the primaries were over, Hillary got over three hundred more delegates and millions more votes than Sanders.  But some Sanders supporters felt that Sanders was cheated and thus did not vote for Hillary in 2016, basically handing the election to Trump.

Now, to all Sander's supporters: Are you going to "Vote Blue, No Matter Who"?  If at the end of the primary, if Sanders is not the leading candidate, are you going to refuse to vote and hand the country back over to the Big Orange Nightmare for the next four years?  Is voting for Biden, Bloomberg, Warren, etc. really so distasteful as giving the country to Trump?  You could use your voices and get concessions from the other candidates, thus making compromises to actual solutions to our country's problems.  But to refuse to vote simply because your chosen candidate didn't get the nomination?  In most cases, you can do so.  However, I humbly submit that doing so now would only strengthen Trump's hold on this country, and I don't think we can take much more of this nightmare and still be intact as a country.

Now is not a time to divide ourselves.  I hereby pledge that I will support whoever gets the nomination, be it Sanders, Biden, Bloomberg, etc.  Short of something catesrophiv (I find out our candidate rapes children or something similar), I will continue my pledge.  I respectfully ask that Bernie's supporters do the same if it turns out that another candidate has more delegates than him before the convention.

Either we stand united, or we die divided.  VOTE BLUE, NO MATTER WHO!

@allyn

Oh no, of course I will vote for whoever the Democratic candidate is. I know that if it is Biden, he will have a mentor in Barack Obama, and that is a great thought.

Trump is a monster. He needs to be banished to the dust heap of history. I hope that my fellow Americans get the urgency.  

I am hopeful that predictions of an enormous blue turnout will come true. 

Posted by: @herondreams

I fear they (what Sanders would call the "establishment" democratic party) are making a big mistake by attacking Sanders in that way. They risk alienating a substantial number of voters, even beyond the ones who already say they will only vote for Sanders. Given the predictions that Trump/Pence will be out before November, it may be a mistake to assume folks will come out against Trump, even for a candidate they don't like or feel great about, like Biden. I don't know anyone my age (GenX) or younger who supports him, although we will vote "Blue no matter who." If the GOP maneuvers in a more attractive candidate before the fall, that would really shake things up, especially if the democratic party assumes folks will come out in droves against Trump. Hopefully they tone down the attacks and keep in mind that the party needs to come together. And hopefully voters will come out in large numbers regardless of who is on the ticket for each party, just for the sake of preserving our democracy. 

I totally agree. I think a Sanders/Warren ticket is the best possible ticket - period.  Reports from dems attending Biden's rallies are that he is likable but appearing frail. If the GOP put up Kasich or Romney with Nikki as VP they could sway (in their mind) moderates. If we can't get Bernie Sanders on the ticket, and they push us with Biden, someone should convince Biden to put Warren up as VP. Not saying that will happen but it would if they had any smarts or pulse on the country.

Amy and Pete dropped out now. Interesting is Tulsi is still running...why?

@triciact I agree that Biden/Warren may help unite the party, although there may be some holdouts on either end of the spectrum. I'd also like to see a woman of color as the VP pick, but Warren is my number one choice. If she doesn't get in this year, I hope she's the female leader so many have seen for 2024, with Stacey Abrams as VP!