Just for "fun", I feel like lining up the facts of this election where Biden and Sanders are concerned. Let's see:
BIDEN
- barely visited any ST states
- took an unexpected loss in Iowa (4th place, barely viable)
- took an even bigger L in New Hampshire (5th place, 8%)
- took another loss in Nevada, with a 26.6% gap between Sanders and him
- finally won in South Carolina with a similar gap, almost entirely through the support of one very specific demographic
- currently has a 5% lead in popular vote... thanks to low turnout in caucus states vs. primary states
SANDERS
- has been campaigning like hell all around the country
- has a grassroots movement with the highest number of donors and donations
- won the popular vote in Iowa, tied in delegates
- won New Hampshire
- crushed Nevada
- has the most diverse coalition of any candidate by far, with an emphasis on younger and first-time voters
- has been polling consistently better than any other candidate against Trump, and beats Trump in almost all of them
- by pretty much all metrics, is the legitimate frontrunner and has been for a while.
Based on that data alone, without engaging in hypotheticals about corruption, collusion or schemes of any kinds, and without even talking about programs... You cannot just drop out before ST and go "we need someone who can win, and that's why I endorse Biden". And you certainly cannot think "this is the future of the party and the country." Not with that kind of base. Not with those results. You would have to be delusional or an idiot. At best, you should take a wait and see approach.
So this really doesn't make any sense unless you, as a candidate for the presidency:
- only care about ideology, everything else be damned; you don't care about the people's choice or democracy or your party or being sensible, and therefore you should drop any pretense of doing this to "win" or because you want to "bring people together."
- are tied to some shady business and interests (corporate interests, of course); I'm not necessarily saying anything illegal - because the US and many capitalist countries, unfortunately, are willing to legalize tons of shitty practices -... but I'm definitely saying immoral things. Things that are not in the interest of anyone but the elites and yourself.
Am I surprised that Buttigieg and Klobuchar are endorsing Biden, and that Warren is doing... whatever she's doing? Not really.
I know. You're reading this, and thinking: "Dude, that's how politics work."
Yeah, exactly, that's how politics work, and I hope you can see by now that the way it works is fucking broken, and nobody who even has a passing interest in democracy, their neighbor or progressive ideals should defend it. This is not normal, folks, and this isn't a game. There's no time for politicking, or punditry, or gotchas, or civility. Lives are at stakes. Not just the immediate lives of US citizens and immigrants who are dying right this instant, but everyone's. US interventionism is putting far-right puppet leaders and causing death and unrest all over the world. Climate change is out of control. I'm from across the Atlantic, and I can't even vote in this election, but honestly, this situation has me furious. Seeing some of the posts on here has me furious. This isn't a fucking game. This isn't about about your favorite sports team winning the game. This isn't about stanning for one particular man or woman. You think the people who want a guy like Bernie to win want to do it just to "own the libs?" You think they - we - want it because we like to be right? The not-so-dirty little secret is that we don't care about Bernie. He's just one dude. Before long, he'll die. And AOC's probably better anyway. But he'll have some power to enact positive change as president of the most powerful country on Earth.
I wish I could tell you Bernie Sanders was the worst candidate, or even a mediocre one; that would mean there's at least one other candidate who's far more promising than him. Far more ambitious. Far more popular. But that's not the case. For a time, I thought Warren might either be the best or second best choice. I don't think that anymore, but if you personally still do, I don't blame you. She's still, for all intents and purposes, the second most inspiring candidate in the race. However, the obvious reality is that the time when she was the projected Democratic hope is long gone. You've seen the results in the first 4 states. You've seen the polls. And you also know that if your ideology and preferred policies closely match hers, Bernie is still your next best candidate, and the only one of the two who has a fair shot. But we can't afford to gamble here. All hands on deck, as they say. So I'm asking you to forget the bickering about rat emojis and #BernieOrBust hashtags on Twitter for 5 seconds, and to try to see the big picture instead. Ask yourselves: why are these people so passionate and uncompromising? Why are they asking us to support this crazy-looking old white guy? Why won't they accept any substitute?
Well, the truth is, we're not passionate; we're terrified, for ourselves and for you - as you should be too. But we're also hopeful; we think there's still a way out of this if we recognize the harsh conditions of 2020 US and 2020 Earth, and if we can band together to try and solve them. We don't have time. People are dying and will keep dying out there. This isn't even (just) about beating Trump. It's about what makes sense given the US and the world's current predicament. It's about everyone, and it's about survival. And if you've read all this, and you're thinking "lol, so corny, who the fuck does this guy think he is?", I'm asking to take a step back, and see the message beyond the words. We're all in this together.
With all that said, crossing my fingers for tomorrow. We can do this.