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Congratulations to our presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden!
Democratic Primaries
In reply to the discussion: My thoughts on why the Sanders' campaign is in meltdown [View all]Gothmog
(145,968 posts)65. From day 1, Bernie built a campaign to appeal to 30%.
Link to tweet
So if, from day one, they didnt think they needed more than 30%, why would they actually run a campaign and build a culture designed to win more than his 30% ceiling? As that article notes, even way back in early 2019, Sanders was picking fights and creating enemies out of potential allies.
We saw that in Sanders refusal to broaden his message to bring in more people. When I said exactly that on Meet the Press, that the problem with Bernie Sanders is that he has the exact same message he had four years ago when he lost to Hillary Clinton 60-40, the response from the Sanders campaign was, well, this:
If your message wasnt a majority message four years ago, and you want to win, wouldnt you tweak it? They didnt. Proudly and explicitly did not tweak it. They had zero intention of growing new support by broadening and expanding their message. (Sanders famously refused to even inject more biography into his stump speech to humanize him more.)
Sanders and his campaign saw that their ceiling was 30%, and they built an entire strategy around winning with 30%. That means that instead of seeing the other 70% of voters as allies, they saw them as THE ENEMY. Even when there was ideological alignment.
We saw that in Sanders refusal to broaden his message to bring in more people. When I said exactly that on Meet the Press, that the problem with Bernie Sanders is that he has the exact same message he had four years ago when he lost to Hillary Clinton 60-40, the response from the Sanders campaign was, well, this:
Link to tweet
If your message wasnt a majority message four years ago, and you want to win, wouldnt you tweak it? They didnt. Proudly and explicitly did not tweak it. They had zero intention of growing new support by broadening and expanding their message. (Sanders famously refused to even inject more biography into his stump speech to humanize him more.)
Sanders and his campaign saw that their ceiling was 30%, and they built an entire strategy around winning with 30%. That means that instead of seeing the other 70% of voters as allies, they saw them as THE ENEMY. Even when there was ideological alignment.
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
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Sanders started this campaign as him verses the Democratic party, and that is the reason he cannot m
still_one
Mar 2020
#3
BS probably realized he couldn't/wouldn't get much more than 30% of the vote.
empedocles
Mar 2020
#7
Today Sanders was going on about Klobuchar and Buttigieg being forced to leave the race by...
Mars and Minerva
Mar 2020
#54
I think their bottom level target was 40%, as if they had 37%, Biden had 34%, Bloomberg 28% (just
Celerity
Mar 2020
#11
In retrospect, the way things happened, America dodged a bullet. He's been exposed as fundamentally
OnDoutside
Mar 2020
#9
Bernie was known from 2016 there, so it is more likely the other Senators were hurt more
karynnj
Mar 2020
#22
They thought that by giving free concerts they'd attract young people. They did, but....
George II
Mar 2020
#28
I've been wondering if the young voters didn't realize that the primaries are just as important as
japple
Mar 2020
#48
They expected the moderate and center-left vote to be split and divided for longer...
NurseJackie
Mar 2020
#21
They were also counting on moderate and center-left voters falling in line behind Sanders
sop
Mar 2020
#61
So... we just work twice as hard to get moderate voters and never-trump voters.
NurseJackie
Mar 2020
#74
Nice analysis. But if Tulsi breaks off and runs as a third party candidate,
PatrickforO
Mar 2020
#25
I listened to Hillary when she was not sure about giving Bush permission to do everything he could.
True Blue American
Mar 2020
#43
They were banking on all candidates staying in until the contested convention
Dopers_Greed
Mar 2020
#32
I didn't consider the Culinary Union as trying to force their members to vote for Biden.
LiberalFighter
Mar 2020
#45
I haven't seen that, but your analysis is excellent and the two things together
betsuni
Mar 2020
#90