It's Biden vs. Bernie as war bursts into presidential race

[JoeOtterbein]

Politico

The Democratic primary could come down to a simple question: Do voters want Biden’s promise of a steady hand, or Bernie’s revolutionary zeal?

By RYAN LIZZA

01/10/2020 05:08 AM EST


Last Saturday in Iowa, the day after an American MQ-9 Reaper dropped its ordnance on Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad, Joe Biden moved quickly to make himself the face of Democratic opposition to Trump’s drone strike. It was early evening at a Des Moines elementary school gymnasium, and despite the dip in temperature and the long lines to get inside, a larger and more engaged audience than the ones he attracted over the summer and fall was waiting for the former vice president.

It was a white-collar crowd—Des Moines-area lawyers and insurance industry professionals and a smattering of D.C. Obama veterans now in town to help Biden in the homestretch. The top lawyer at ICE under the last administration was there, and told me it was the first time he’d ever canvassed Iowa for a candidate.

ran had heightened the stakes. “#WWIII” was trending online and predictions of an all-out war were commonplace. Trump might now benefit from the halo that glows atop all wartime leaders, at least for a time. And the importance of the outcome of the Democratic primary—to say nothing of the country and the world— had suddenly ballooned. Would voters want an experienced hand whose position on world affairs is basically, “Trust me, I know what I’m doing” (Biden) or would they gravitate toward someone like Bernie Sanders, whose ringing calls to get the U.S. out of Middle East quagmires have the benefit of clarity, but make many a D.C. foreign-policy hand queasy? The answer may help determine who wins over the Democratic base, and perhaps the country, come November.

While waiting for Biden that evening in Des Moines, one of the pre-program speakers led the crowd in singing “God Bless America.” When he arrived, Biden the candidate still winked and shot finger guns at well-wishers and hugged them afterwards, but it was Biden the commander-in-chief that his advisers wanted on display. The former veep pilloried what he viewed as Trump’s recklessness and called for congressional authorization of any further military engagement with Iran. His aides began planning a major speech on the issue in New York for the following Tuesday.

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[True Blue American]

1. Tom Steyer

Just moved ahead of Bernie. Went up 7 points. He will be in the debate.People might gravitate to a real billionaire who spent half his fortune helping others for the last 10 years. then,of course there is Bloomberg who has a great record, too. He could buy and sell Trump.

I do not think any of us know at this point who will come out on top.

[Squinch]

2. Another ridiculous post headline that bears no resemblance to the referenced article or reality.

Honestly, I have no problem with Bernie. I'll happily vote for him if he's the nominee, but the constant hyperbole and dishonesty of his more rabid followers doesn't help his image at all.

[SidDithers]

3. Yup...nt

Sid

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. A cult of personality has formed around Bernie and it's not a good thing.

I have seen so many posts appearing in various threads about other candidates that say nothing but words to the effect of "Yay, rah, rah, Bernie's going to win!" even if the thread has nothing to do with Bernie at all, or (my recent favorite) "Bernie is the solution to everything!" Other candidates have enthusiastic supporters but I don't see comments suggesting that their candidate is some kind of messiah who will instantly and magically give everyone free health care and free college and bring about the triumph of the proletariat and turn water into artisanal craft beer or whatever. Please, put down the pennants and pompoms, acknowledge that - just like all the other candidates - Bernie has faults and flaws, that he has made mistakes and that he has taken positions and votes that he might now regret, said things that maybe he shouldn't have said, and that the sun really and truly doesn't shine out of his butt.

I supported Bernie in 2016 but the antics of his fanboys at the convention really put me off, and his recent hiring of fanatical and dishonest campaign staffers like Sirota and Gray, whose behavior does nothing but encourage the cultishness, ensured that I will absolutely not vote for him in my state's primary. Obviously I would vote for him if he's the nominee, but I hope and pray that will not happen. We already have a president with a cult following and we don't need another.