Moderates Vs Bernie Sanders
In 2019, when the democratic candidates were taking turns announcing their candidacies, it was widely accepted that Biden, with his folksy charm and Barack Obama’s (Vice Presidential) seal of approval, will win the democratic nomination.
But now that the primaries have rolled around, it is clear that the Democratic establishment had over-estimated Biden’s potential and under-estimated Bernie’s support amongst the people.
Sanders currently has the popular vote lead in every primary and caucus yet and that has the moderates sounding the alarm that the 2020 presidential election could be a lost cause for the democratic party if the presidential nominee is a “Far-left, Democratic socialist”
The general fear is that Sanders won’t be able to beat President Trump and the larger republican machinery which will attempt to paint Bernie as a “communist” or an “authoritarian apologist”. This even after Nevada where Bernie won the majority of not just his own base but also, African American, Latinx, college-educated, high school educated, men, women and even a few moderates.
Experts like James Carville, The former campaign manager for Bill Clinton are now suggesting that the moderate field is too crowded, and the vote is currently being divided amongst Biden, Klobuchar, Buttigieg, Bloomberg, and Steyer. The split means that Sanders is en route to winning the nomination with a plurality – not a majority – of party support.
The proposed solution to this perceived problem is the consolidation of the moderate field, experts are saying that it is now time for the non-performing candidates to drop out of the race and support a single candidate that can beat Bernie.
Perhaps the results of the South Carolina primaries and super Tuesday will organically thin the herd.