Time for Biden to ignore Sanders.

[OneBro]

I think it’s time for Biden to ignore Sanders. Ideally, going forward, Biden can talk about his own policies to rebuild America’s credibility, rebuild our infrastructure, and rebuild our trade relations. Suggestions about who he would appoint in his administration, ads about bringing integrity back to the White House, . . . you get the point, but Biden need not personally mention Sanders again other than to compliment his passion and whatnot.

Meanwhile, the DNC and prior candidates could be pounding the hell out of the Trump criminal administrative enterprise and the Senators that support and enables him.

The attack ad slamming Sanders for threatening to primary Obama feels icky and leaves both camps a bit muddy. Likewise, Bernie’s attacks against Biden and the “establishment” leave Bernie looking like a desperate amateur.

[saidsimplesimon]

1. Keep our eyes on the prize,

a unified response to defeat the monster is necessary. We don't have time to waste on fighting among ourselves if we are to accomplish this. Count those votes California and get the final results out pronto. imo

[ooky]

20. +1

We are going to need all our supporters in November. Our focus should be on coming together to taking down Trump and fumigating the White House.

[saidsimplesimon]

2. The past is prologue....Shakespeare

[Skittles]

3. Sanders is looking to repeat what he did in 2016

better to keep an eye on him

[OneBro]

5. Let the surrogates do it.

A presidential Biden need not bother with a game of tit-for-tat with Sanders. Let surrogates (Carville, Clinton, etc.) point out the Bernie negatives. Biden, however, should be President Biden in all that he says and does.

[W_HAMILTON]

4. If Sanders and his crew can lie about others, why can't others tell the truth about Sanders?

Now, having said that, I would prefer that we not attack each other, but after watching how Sanders and his surrogates and supporters have gone after Democrats and the Democratic Party for close to half a decade now, I know that is just wishful thinking at this point given that his so-called """movement""" is basically BUILT on attacking us.

[OneBro]

6. I'm not saying there shouldn't be a response.

I’m saying it’s time for Candidate Biden to shift into President Biden mode, i.e. not PERSONALLY trade barbs with Bernie or his surrogates. Fight back as needed during debates, but on the campaign trail just leave Bernie alone to personally wallow in the mud pit.

[True Blue American]

18. Biden did very well last

Night when the establishment question came up. He answered that all voted for him. That was the right answer.

[MaryMagdaline]

21. Yes! Presidential mode so that we envision him as president

And people psychologically start adjusting to a new administration.

[beachbumbob]

7. biden: 90% attack trump, 10% attack sanders

plenty of surrogates to go after sanders. Hoping for bloomberg to finish sanders off with RNC type ads

[gab13by13]

8. Bernie has already been vetted, Joe hasn't.

It's better for Joe to get the skeletons out of his closet now then wait for Trump to do it. JMO.

[beachbumbob]

11. ??? Joe been plenty vetted, sanders has not for real otherwise he wouldn't be in

the primary at all.

wheres the all photos running on foxnews with sanders marching in Socialist workers parardes? Wheres all the documentation being shown on sanders involvement with the Marxist Party? All this been held back. What sander's wife's little issue with her last job?

RNC. trump, foxnews all sitting on a treasure trove of sanders attack materials and waiting to use it all. I hope bloomberg beats them to it NOW

[StarfishSaver]

12. Since when has Bernie been vetted?

He's gotten virtually a free ride for the last two election cycles.

[zackymilly]

24. Not fully vetted until he releases his medical records, not a doctor's note. n/t

[NurseJackie]

9. No. We "ignore" Bernie at our own peril. Time to put his campaign to bed.

No. We "ignore" Bernie at our own peril. Time to put his campaign to bed. Time to end his litany of lies and smears and insinuation and innuendo. Time to hit back HARD against the denigration and deception and derision and divisiveness. There's no love lost between Bernie Sanders and the Democratic party. He's made his contempt for the party abundantly clear... and unless we forcefully refute and rebut HIS smears and attacks and lies, then they continue to fester. Biden commands more attention than "surrogates" and he's the perfect one to refute the lies and fend off the smears and attacks. In doing so, he'll expose Bernie's cynical tactics of division, and he'll also elevate himself by showing how a TRUE leader and a TRUE Democrat behaves.

[OneBro]

14. I hear you.

I get what you’re saying, but I Biden personally attacking Bernie has a higher risk of alienating (some of) Bernie’s supporters to the point that they might sit out the general election. Plus, every time Biden personally mentions Bernie, it suggests that Bernie is still in the game and worthy of discussion.

[NurseJackie]

17. Any Bernie-supporters who could feel "alienated" enough to sit out the election...

I get what you’re saying, but I Biden personally attacking Bernie has a higher risk of alienating (some of) Bernie’s supporters to the point that they might sit out the general election.

This is a false choice. Any Bernie-supporters who could feel "alienated" enough to sit out the election wouldn't be voting for Biden anyway. They're pouting. If they don't get over it and come around on their own, they'll never come around.

Fuck them if they are so selfish and self-absorbed that they are incapable of making the right decision on their own. Fuck them if they feel like the need to "punish" the party in order to "make a statement". It must be nice that they can afford the luxury of causing the most vulnerable among us to suffer... simply because of their disappointment and hurt feelings.

All I'm saying is this: they want to be coddled and validated... and even then they'll be unreliable voters. They're a lost cause. They're dragging us down and there comes a time when they simply need to be cut-loose.

Here's the thing. We could spend many dollars and hours trying to coddle, appease, apologize, validate, stroke, soothe, negotiate, bargain-with, reason-with and otherwise engage in a battle of wits until they're "worn down" and (grudgingly) agree (maybe/maybe-not) to vote for Biden. All that effort for ONE vote... who may not even vote anyway.

OR... a better return-on-investment would be to spend an equal amount of effort getting dozens and dozens of other new voters to support Democrats. New voters, first time voters, fallow and absent voters... people who don't need to be continually flattered... people who aren't perpetual grudge-holders... people who understand that PARTICIPATING is a better way to make their voices heard. (Unlike those who "make a statement" by staying home.)

Plus, every time Biden personally mentions Bernie, it suggests that Bernie is still in the game and worthy of discussion.

That's simply not true. It suggests no such thing. It's unclear to me how you arrive at that conclusion. However... what is much more likely to be true is that if Biden says nothing about Bernie's lies and smears and attacks... then that suggests to the woefully ill-informed that maybe Joe isn't defending himself "because it's true".

I'm reminded of how John Kerry remained silent for so long when the attacks were coming his way. He didn't want to "dignify" the attacks by responding... and that only allowed the lies and smears to take-hold. What you're suggesting that Biden do would be to duplicate John Kerry's mistake.

[subana]

10. Bernie IS desperate!

there's not much hope for Bernie anymore simply because the polls & the math are not favorable to him.

I think Joe should question him when he tries to suck up to Obama fans like the recent ad which made it look as if Obama had endorsed him when he clearly has not. But apart from that, he probably should not attack him. It was pretty ridiculous that Bernie tried to say that he supported Obama while he wanted to primary him in his re-election!

[MaryMagdaline]

13. By attacking Bernie we alienate his voters

I know I’ve made a lot of comments about Bernie bros, etc, but the vast majority of Bernie voters I know are idealistic liberals who care deeply about other human beings. We need them to stay engaged and we need them not to hate the Democratic Party.

[OneBro]

15. Agreed.

My presumption is that we all have similar ideals, and I much prefer to see Biden throwing breadcrumbs to bring folks in rather than barbs that leave stinging marks.

[dalton99a]

16. Biden can say whatever he wants, especially if Sanders attacks him and the Democratic Party

[True Blue American]

19. Biden does not attack.

He does answer attacks in a hummer way, if possible, other wise with facts.

[democrattotheend]

22. Um, no

Less than half the country has had the chance to vote yet. I haven't decided yet between Bernie and Joe but if Biden decides not to campaign in my state because it's a safe blue state and he decides to ignore Bernie, Bernie's getting my vote for sure. It's bad enough that during the general election, candidates only come here to host high dollar fundraisers that most of us can't afford to go to. Any candidate who doesn't come and try to earn our votes isn't getting mine.

[Amaryllis]

23. People are sick of negative campaigning and JOe doesn't need to go there. Just focus

on what he will do - everything you said in OP.