Sanders, so soon? Let more Americans have their say.

[question everything]

(snip)

The bad news is, if you believe the pundits and the media, the race is pretty much over. The political juggernaut that is the campaign of democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has rolled over the terrain like an unstoppable glacier creating the fjords of Norway. Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada have all bowed down to the Bernie’s army of nasty tweeters. Except, of course, he hasn’t emerged as the front-runner quite so convincingly as that. Even if one put no credence in the argument that it is ludicrous for two of the whitest states in the union having this much sway over who the nominee will be, the results of these early states have been anything but clear.

Iowa is gonna Iowa, and we probably will never know who actually prevailed in its caucuses. Sanders won New Hampshire, but it was anything but a resounding victory. For perspective, he won that state’s primary by 22 percentage points over Hillary Clinton, who was at the time the most famous woman on the planet. In 2020, he edged Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Ind., roughly the 300th most populous city in the United States. There’s no question that Sanders won a huge victory in the Nevada caucuses, but that should come with a bit of an asterisk. Caucuses are inherently undemocratic and not favorable to the elderly, working poor and mothers with children.

(snip)

The stakes in the election are so great that it is obscene that we seem content to rush to a nominee. In just the last couple of days, our soon-to-be presumptive 78-year-old nominee has refused to release his medical record, sung the praise of Fidel Castro and took a pass on telling us exactly how much his grand restructuring of the social safety net will cost the average American. Bernie’s obstinance in 2016 surely cost Hillary Clinton votes in the general election, yet the Democratic Party, in thrall to his “army,” treated him with kid gloves and allowed him to dictate many of the rule changes that put the party in this current dilemma.

Sanders may still turn out to be the best thing since sliced bread and the best candidate to face the Great Accident in the Oval. But maybe not. Maybe we need to see if he has a glass jaw when hit with a negative ad. Maybe he needs a thorough vetting to see what kind of attacks could come his way this fall. It would be malpractice on the part of voters not to give him one.

And I would like to see how he’d do when it was him against a single opponent — whether it be Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg or Amy Klobuchar. Long primary battles can create division, no doubt. But it also creates better, tougher, wiser candidates for the general. So let the race continue for a while. Let more Americans have a say in who should face Donald Trump.

http://www.startribune.com/sanders-so-soon-let-more-americans-have-their-say/568186852/

[oldsoftie]

1. I'm sticking with my original prediction; Sanders will NOT be the nominee

We'll see how many states he wins next week.
Same goes for Warren

[Turin_C3PO]

2. Warren might be a good choice

if neither Sanders nor a moderate has the majority of delegates at the convention. From what I’ve observed, both sides of the Democratic coalition seem to like her.

[question everything]

3. Certainly hope so

Warren presented herself as Sanders light, including the shouting and the flailing arms. Her only plus is that she is a Democrat. Though it does not seem to matter to the Sanderistas.

[Turin_C3PO]

4. Warren's a solid progressive.

Nothing wrong with her at all. Plus she’s knocked Bloomberg down a few pegs which is good because he’d be the worst choice for Democrats, IMO.

[Green Line]

5. There have been 2 caucuses and 1 primary

He just barely won the primary in neighboring NH. I think this race has a long way to go.

[Codeine]

6. The momentum from these overhyped

podunk events has certainly set him on what could be the winning path. It seems like every poll has him up significantly. Hopefully there will be a correction soon or we are utterly and completely fucked in November.