Why won't Bernie drop out?

[SouthernCal_Dem]

I've seen quite a few primary campaigns on both sides of the aisle since 2000, the year I started following politics.

Pretty much every time a candidate is getting crushed or has no chance, they drop out.

However, the two exceptions I can think of are Bernie 2016 and Bernie 2020.

Why won't he just leave so we can focus fire on Trump and the GOP?

Why is he still here?!?!!?

This is insane.

[nycbos]

1. His ego doesn't allow him to.

Last edited Thu Apr 2, 2020, 12:15 AM - Edit history (1)

[LizBeth]

11. His ego. Correct.

[Kerrycrat]

2. As long as he's still in...

He has a forum and people listen to him.

I think he likes that.

[Cha]

5. So these were just words?..

Donald Trump must be defeated,” Bernie Sanders insists, “and I will do everything in my power to make that happen.”

https://upload.democraticunderground.com/1287673175

Link to tweet

[customerserviceguy]

3. He probably feels

that the C-19 crisis gives his M4A plan a better chance of prevailing. He is also aware that Joe Biden has been pretty much sidelined, reduced to a home studio in a basement, and that Andrew Cuomo's been looking a bit more presidential lately.

The entire Democratic primary process has pretty much been about Joe Biden stumbling on the way to the nomination, at this point, Sanders is the only one who thinks that's still possible.

[HarlanPepper]

21. What a pant load

Especially the last graph.

[The Magistrate]

4. Because His Campaign Is Not For The Presidency, Sir

The sooner people get that through their heads, especially his well-meaning supporters, the better it will be for our people and our country.

The fact is Sanders campaigns not to gain the Democratic Party's nomination for President, but to weaken if not wreck the 'Democratic Establishment'. For 'Bernie', ousting Trump and ending the Republican majority in the Senate is barely an afterthought to this long-standing purpose. Once Sanders' supporters face this fact squarely, they may be able to decide honestly what their best course in this election is: voting against 'Bernie' in any future primary, and for Mr. Biden and Democrats all down the ticket to the lowest office on the ballot come November.

It is probably true that Sanders sees destroying the 'Democratic Establishment' as an essential precondition to defeating Trump et al, and so by his own lights he means it when he says he will do all he can to defeat Trump. But that belief is so self-serving and delusional it deserves not just scorn but contempt.

As with Trump, the only real cure is to deprive the man of the oxygen of worshipful attention. The effect would be that of a bucket of water on the wicked witch of Oz....




"From Bernie’s perspective, dropping out of a race once you have no chance of winning is peculiar behavior that can only be explained by the work of a hidden hand. For most politicians, though, it is actually standard operating procedure. Only Sanders seems to think the normal thing to do once voters have made clear they don’t want to nominate you is to continue campaigning anyway."




"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."

[msongs]

6. whoopi asked him "what's your path to nomination" and he refused to answer nt

[Haggis for Breakfast]

7. One word: EGO.

[4now]

8. The search for money

[Paka]

9. I have a few years on you.

I've been following politics since 1958. I have never known such a hard core push for a candidate to drop out other than Bernie in 2016 and now again in 2020. He is the lone candidate that has had that kind of party hatred thrown against him. If the DNC is that unhappy with his candidacy, they should never have allowed him to run in their primary in the first place. Once they allowed that, it is up to him to decide when he should end his candidacy, as long as there are still deigates unpledged.

[Dopers_Greed]

10. Who was calling for him to drop out in 2016? Not me, I voted for him then

But this time, I'm saying I support Joe, and that he should drop out.

[Paka]

15. I believe it when you say you voted for him in 2016.

However Hillary supporters were very vocal in demanding Senator Sanders drop out, even before California voted. The playbook from 2016 is being repeated at this very moment.

[BlueLucy]

13. I think it was a mistake to allow him to run.

He's not a democrat, he doesn't think like democrats and has said he despises democrats.

I love democrats. The democratic party has fought for civil rights, human rights, women rights, elected the first black president and the first woman nominee of a major party.

Perhaps there will be some rule changes here on out.. Maybe 5 years of being a voting member of the democratic party before anyone can run on our ticket.

[The Magistrate]

14. When You See An Anomaly, Ma'am, It Makes Sense To Seek The Why Of It

In this case, the why of that anomaly is clear. Sanders is a Democrat running for the Party's nomination.

The fact is Sanders campaigns not to gain the Democratic Party's nomination for President, but to weaken if not wreck the 'Democratic Establishment'. For 'Bernie', ousting Trump and ending the Republican majority in the Senate is barely an afterthought to this long-standing purpose. Once Sanders' supporters face this fact squarely, they may be able to decide honestly what their best course in this election is: voting against 'Bernie' in any future primary, and for Mr. Biden and Democrats all down the ticket to the lowest office on the ballot come November.

It is probably true that Sanders sees destroying the 'Democratic Establishment' as an essential precondition to defeating Trump et al, and so by his own lights he means it when he says he will do all he can to defeat Trump. But that belief is so self-serving and delusional it deserves not just scorn but contempt.


"From Bernie’s perspective, dropping out of a race once you have no chance of winning is peculiar behavior that can only be explained by the work of a hidden hand. For most politicians, though, it is actually standard operating procedure. Only Sanders seems to think the normal thing to do once voters have made clear they don’t want to nominate you is to continue campaigning anyway."





"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."

[treestar]

27. Nice twist to the other side but

It does not work, as it is not applicable to the other candidates. The OP makes the point that Bernie stays on. Others have not done that. Thus they don't hear they should drop out.

[trueblue2007]

12. FROM A ARTICLE I READ ON THIS BOARD .... Bernie needs to take his ass home and pout in private

[quakerboy]

16. Why should he?

We all know what the deal is. Biden has won. Bernie staying or dropping is irrelevant to that.

We should be focusing Fire on trump. Now. Theres no waiting needed. Any time any in our party are wasting focusing on allies is pointless. Or worse.

[MrsCoffee]

17. Because all he is doing is sowing division in our party. Depressing turnout for the general election

only benefits Trump and Putin. And he seems to be profiting off this division which is just sick. I don’t give a fuck how many books he wants to sell or how many houses he thinks he needs to own.

HIM, NOT US.

We’ve had enough bullshit shoved down our throats. We don’t need his giant ego and fake revolution.

[Gothmog]

18. sanders is hoping that Joe dies

Link to tweet

[MineralMan]

19. Senator Bernard Sanders (I-VT) Faces Utter Humiliation

in his attempt to gain the Democratic nomination. The COVID-19 pandemic will result in even wider losses in the remaining primary elections. People are no longer interested in his "revolutionary" changes, and are seeking a steady, experienced hand for their President.

That makes his decision to keep running even stranger. He would, apparently, rather suffer humiliation than to withdraw now and endorse Joe Biden. Who seeks a humiliating loss?

I have no explanation for such a choice as he is making. It is far from a rational choice, so the answer must be as strange as the decision appears to be.

[LostOne4Ever]

20. I would explain

But I have already done that several times on DU and I find most Biden supporters here neither listen nor care.

They just want to Bernie out.

[The Magistrate]

22. He Should Concede, Sir

"From Bernie’s perspective, dropping out of a race once you have no chance of winning is peculiar behavior that can only be explained by the work of a hidden hand. For most politicians, though, it is actually standard operating procedure. Only Sanders seems to think the normal thing to do once voters have made clear they don’t want to nominate you is to continue campaigning anyway."





"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."

[LostOne4Ever]

28. I disagree

And please don’t call me “sir.”

Thank you very much!

[The Magistrate]

29. You Have Every Right To Be Wrong

And to state the error publicly.

Be well, and stay safe!





"From Bernie’s perspective, dropping out of a race once you have no chance of winning is peculiar behavior that can only be explained by the work of a hidden hand. For most politicians, though, it is actually standard operating procedure. Only Sanders seems to think the normal thing to do once voters have made clear they don’t want to nominate you is to continue campaigning anyway."





"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."

[LostOne4Ever]

32. You have that right as well

Please Stay safe and healthy!

[la-trucker]

23. I think it is beyond ego at this point

The goal is to destroy the Democratic party that he loathes.

[The Magistrate]

25. That Has Become Increasingly Obvious, Sir

And after all, the man is on the record as saying 'I am not, and never have been, a liberal Democrat,' among other gems....





"From Bernie’s perspective, dropping out of a race once you have no chance of winning is peculiar behavior that can only be explained by the work of a hidden hand. For most politicians, though, it is actually standard operating procedure. Only Sanders seems to think the normal thing to do once voters have made clear they don’t want to nominate you is to continue campaigning anyway."





"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."

[DenverJared]

24. Socialist dreams

[redstatebluegirl]

26. He wants to destroy the party.

To make it worse we opened the door and let him in.

[C_U_L8R]

30. Poor judgement.

Admire his ideological push forward but he's never seemed very practical or constructive.
And he's just not a team player. That's clear. At this point, it's unfortunate self-inflicted damage
more than anything. May grace and humility guide him to the right decision.

[Walleye]

31. To Bernie: in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make.

[betsuni]

33. Because it's about an imaginary revolution.

Bernie: "The campaign was never just about electing a president of the United States, as enormously important as that was. This campaign was about transforming America."

Some sort of weird hybrid, an insider running as an outsider trying to lead a revolution against a (also imaginary) corrupt Democratic establishment preventing the American people from having nice progressive things because they're all bribed, the usual Democratic progressive things that Bernie claimed were radical until he ran for president. I'm sure he still firmly believes he's the only one who can beat Trump because he thinks 90% of the American public agree with his agenda: Trump voters are just uneducated Bernie voters.

It's a fantasy.