So Bernie waited until the day AFTER his supporters risked their lives

[texasleo]

by standing in line to vote, before he suspended his campaign?!!!

THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION.

[Peregrine Took]

1. Haters goona hate. It never ends. n/t

[hlthe2b]

10. I have areadly called out the deceptive premise in the OP. Please stop as well. NOT HELPFUL

[Don1]

14. You are 100% right.

We need to beat these invalid arguments with logic and reason. The constant attacks on Bernie, most of them anyway, did not make sense. This one for example--Bernie was against having the primary and the court ruled at the last minute about it. Moreover, there were other primaries and votes going on and Biden had said he wasn't against it--said they should mail in and do absentee voting.

What we needed weeks ago was to start coming together and now it's here and Unity is needed more than ever. Progressives deserve a seat at the table in the coalition to beat Trump. Joe Biden shares Bernie Sanders' values. The way he goes about it are slightly different sometimes but we are all on the same team.

[Lock him up.]

66. Unity is needed more than ever. Joe Biden shares Bernie Sanders' values.+1

Joe Biden/VP will need BLUE majorities in Congress to implement them.

Without a Democratic Congress (blue dogs better vote with the majority) it will be very hard.

VOTE BLUE ALL UP AND DOWN TICKET (not just President|Vice-President)!

[Magoo48]

17. There are good losers and poor losers.

There are also good winners as poor winners. Joe is much more gracious than many of his more paranoid followers.

[yaesu]

22. yep, these people are only helping tRump get elected, sad, very unattractive. nt

[zackymilly]

27. How? You gonna vote for Trump because of an anonymous poster on the net? n/t

[LakeArenal]

31. Yesterday Joe made a statement very positive about BS

What we got in return was WI getting out the vote at their peril.
Then not even lukewarm support for Joe.

Making Joe a very nice winner, leaving Bernie a sour or sore loser.

[jorgevlorgan]

60. he made a statement about bullshit?

I must have missed that one.

[Devil Child]

39. Let 'me hate. It's kinda entertaining.

Like some sort of cherished pastime they need to partake in.

[Demsrule86]

54. Sanders is out, so just stop. He should have endorsed and not told his supporters to risk their

lives voting for him in future primaries now that he has suspended. That is a fair criticism. But I will leave it to history to judge Sanders and his actions...I am moving on to the General. Sanders has suspended. Joe Biden is the presumptive nominee. Now comes the hard work beating the crap out of Trump.

[jimfields33]

2. Enough!!!!!

[LakeArenal]

32. Yep!!! We have had enough.

[jimfields33]

38. Never happy or satisfied is more likely

[LakeArenal]

41. Haha. I have been with Joe since before he announced.

Today I totally happy and abnormally satisfied. But thanks for the analysis.

[Cha]

68. It really Happened, LakeArenal!

[LakeArenal]

69. That's right, sistah❣️

Now the battle of good over evil begins.

[Demsrule86]

55. Time to move onto the General...I am glad Sanders suspended...thanks Senator.

I hope this forum is gone by the end of the week.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. The election in WI was at least as much about state and local contests

as it was about the Dem primary. I agree that Bernie should have dropped out before yesterday but people would have gone out to vote anyhow because there was a crucial state supreme court election as well. This was a very big deal in WI.

[Turn CO Blue]

28. Came here to post this same thing - down ballot races are far more important than pres primary

[LakeArenal]

33. It wasn't mutually exclusive.

I know personally that low info voters in WI have no interest in a judges.

[democrattotheend]

51. If anything, Bernie brought out more voters on our side

Even though he hasn't brought as many new people into the process as he initially thought he could, I have no doubt that at least some people, especially younger voters, turned out who otherwise would not have yesterday.

[thesquanderer]

71. Yes, and actually, the fact that Sanders had not yet conceded...

...may have actually brought more voters to the polls (whether to vote for him or against him). If the Dem primary were officially settled, perhaps fewer Dems would have bothered coming out, increasing the odds that the Republicans would win the supreme court election. So in an unexpected way, Sanders not yet conceding may have yielded a better result for us in Wisconsin.

That said, you could also say that even an important win like that (if we get it) isn't worth having people risk their lives. I wouldn't argue against that, either. So I'm not actually coming down on the side of it having been a good thing, but merely saying that it may have ended up working in the Dem's favor.

[Freddie]

4. The issue in Wisconsin

Why they didn’t want us to vote was the state SC seat.

[LakeArenal]

5. Really. He suspended???

[dhol82]

26. Giving his speech right now on MSNBC

[Don1]

6. There were other primaries and votes going on.

AND he said the primaries should be suspended.

Attacking Sanders is not helpful.

We needed to come together the last few weeks and drop grudges.

Join Biden and be positive in letting progressives have a place in the coalition.

[hlthe2b]

7. Stop. I back Joe, but this is not true. WI heroes turned out for the critical statewide elections

to determine critical state supreme court and 100 other judicial and downstream elections.

NOT for a predetermined primary election. Please STOP!

[babylonsister]

18. THANK YOU. nt

[LakeArenal]

34. Again. Not mutually exclusive.

There are many low info voters that couldn’t name any of the judicial candidates.

[hlthe2b]

36. BS.... they know their local officials on the ballot and they know the controversy for WI Supreme Ct

You know damned well this has gotten a LOT of attention in WI and THAT is why they are desperate to push back. They know that they HAVE to push back against the corrupt gerrymandering. Republicans enjoy a built-in 64-35 advantage in the partisan makeup of the 99 Assembly districts. In a hypothetical 50-50 election, in which there are equal numbers of Democratic and Republican voters in Wisconsin, no one crosses party lines and independents split down the middle, that translates into a massive 29-seat GOP advantage in the Assembly. That's very close to the 27-seat margin (63-36) that Republicans won in 2018.
WI Democrats are not stupid.

https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/blogs/wisconsin-voter/2018/12/06/wisconsin-gerrymandering-data-shows-stark-impact-redistricting/2219092002/

[LakeArenal]

40. Don't put words in my mouth.

I didn't call any one stupid.

Your experience maybe that where you live in Wisconsin everyone is into local politics. That they know anything about policies and stances. Including names But that is definitely not my experience.

That party lines are party lines. Certain R are going to vote R no matter what name appears. The same with Democrats.
Beyond that they are not interested. Not stupid. Not interested. That’s what gerrymandering does.

To me there were far fewer political wonks than uninformed voters.

You don’t need to educate me. I have as much campaign experience in WI as anybody that isn’t running for office.

[hlthe2b]

42. I don't live in Wisconsin. I read and LISTEN

and I don't hold contempt for fellow Democrats, their motivations nor knowledge--especially those in Wisconsin who have labored so much to turn around the damage wrought by Scott Walker and his cronies.

They are heroes to come out at their own risk --and THEY KNOW what the stakes are. They are deserving of our respect not our condescension.

[LakeArenal]

44. What a load.

I went to every recall protest.
I worked in an unheatex 30 degree office to get rid of Wanker.
I worked hard on Evers campaign. I can show you my photo with him and the thank you card I received after he won if you’d like.

Where the heck is there contempt?
Some people are not only not interested in politics, the will run you off their yard.

Being uninformed on any subject is not a sin or crime.

[hlthe2b]

45. Condescension prevails.

I respect the voters who put themselves at risk. I will not assume them all to be "ill-informed" nor condescend to their motives. If you want to call that a "load" that is on YOU. And shame on you.

[LakeArenal]

46. Okay judgy judgerton.

Experience is now condescension.

You with all the statistics with none of that experience in Wisconsin.

Again you judge that I don’t think those in long lines aren’t heroes.

I have loved ones and family in those lines.

If they are standing in long lines it’s because they vote for Democrats.

Republican strongholds have plenty of poling stations.

Yeah I do think you are dropping a load of judgement and opinion.

[hlthe2b]

47. I think you miss the point. I respect WI Democrats and what they are trying to do.

Your posts are all about a very condescending judgment towards your fellow WI democrats who put their lives at risk to vote and what might be motivating them. Apparently, in your mind, only YOU meet the threshold for such respect. You really might think about that if you seek to recruit other WI supporters for November.

[LakeArenal]

50. You are the only on calling anyone names

You seem to know everything.
How I think. How everyone in Wisconsin thinks. What my motives should be.
How I should view my experience of living and working in the heart of Wisconsin
That if I’m proud of something I’ve done I’m condescending. If I state my experience I’m diminishing others. That apparently I don’t respect my loved ones here.
You have a great day. I hope you can see another point of you. It apparently won’t be mine.

Edit to correct “point of view”. But kinda like the original.

[hlthe2b]

57. I have never called you a name. You on the other hand "Okay judgy judgerton,"

(your post#45). Ahem.

I said you were being condescending towards those dedicated WI Democrats who came out to vote despite the risk. That is describing your reference to your fellow WI Democrats who showed through their dedication to come out during a historical pandemic their dedication to change in WI, yet you attribute it only to "ignorance" of what the election was all about. To do so is the very definition of "condescension." Again, not an ad hominem. It describes your statements and apparent attitude towards those I consider HEROES.

Not all Democrats are equally informed, granted. But to assume that of Democrats who were desperate enough to stand in line with jury-rigged facemasks for hours and that they did so for reasons other than an understanding of what is at stake is beyond the pale to me.

[LakeArenal]

70. Sure whatever suits you.

[HarlanPepper]

8. Yes he did. Character matters.

[themaguffin]

9. He should have done this before today, but let's not do that.

[elleng]

11. If you can't say anything nice, say NOTHING at all.

thank you

[jimlup]

12. Hint - time to stop bashing Bernie

You are not making the party stronger by doing that.

I changed my endorsement today but some bitterness from the constant Bernie bashing remains. I will swallow hard and support the nominee with everything I have. Time to unify the party.

[yaesu]

21. Thank you, there was a lot more going on in the voting, including stopping a rightwing judge. nt

[SaveOurDemocracy]

23. Thanks, Jim, for that truth, AND your endorsement.

🙏

[Tipperary]

13. And now he is going to talk at the same time as Cuomo?

Wtf?

[Sloumeau]

16. Bernie dropped out, so you might want to just let this go. :)

Right now, we might want to spend our time unifying and healing.

[yaesu]

19. There were other votes going on that progressives were definitely needed like defeating a very

rightwing court judge. This is why the fascists wanted a low turn out. Blaming Bernie for the fascists block the suspension of voting is right out of the republican playbook.

[Arkansas Granny]

20. I'm pretty sure there were other contests on the ballot.

[SKKY]

25. I don't think it was so much about his campaign as it was the down-ticket races...

...It's hard to argue that turn-out wouldn't have been negatively affected if he had dropped prior to yesterday.

[jbabe88]

29. Unclear where I stand

Honestly, I'm very torn on this. Bernie did have a very narrow path to victory, obviously hinging on strong victories in remaining primary states.

While there almost certainly was no chance for him, however, I feel like it was important that voters still had the option, which hopefully helped draw out participation. This is where I am torn. Gatherings and risking health right now is genuinely terrible and should be avoided, but I also don't want enthusiasm to vote and support the democratic process wane at all this year - we will need that enthusiasm again in November.

[Demsrule86]

58. But you forget the attacks from his surrogates on Biden...at least that should end.

[ibegurpard]

30. Again

The Republicans kept this primary going. Period. They did it because of a Wisconsin supreme court election. This primary would have happened whether Bernie dropped out today or months ago. He has suspended his campaign. Enough. Time for everyone else to ignore him and get behind Biden and stop the Bernie bashing.

[mercuryblues]

35. You can also look at it this way

By staying in, he helped increase the Dems turn out for the down ticket races

[democrattotheend]

49. I think that may be why he did it this way

Otherwise, he probably would have waited for the results before suspending.

[StFrancis1]

67. Exactly

I agree.....

Not a Bernie fan, a Harris supporter first, Joey and Pete 2nd and 3rd....

BUT, if we win that SCourt seat, it may be in thanks to Bernie staying in, as it would have been hard to brave yesterday for some, without that at the top of their ballots.......

[dsc]

37. I am no fan of Sanders but that is utterly dishonest

There were many races on the ballot in Wisconsin yesterday including a supreme court seat and three appellate court seats. That election would have happened either way and we needed Democrats to vote in it either way (since the court races were general elections).

[Demsrule86]

56. It is not about Wisconsin...he asked supporters to continue to vote in future primaries...not

one word in the platform is worth the death of one kid or older supporter who follows his wishes.

[dsc]

62. future primaries are going to be vote by mail

and those are likely to be needed in any case.

[4now]

43. What a classy guy

[democrattotheend]

48. Wisconsin had an important state supreme court race at stake

That's why Republicans were so resistant to moving the election. They figured their own supporters were less worried about coronavirus and more likely to show up, plus they didn't consolidate the rural precincts as much as they did in Milwaukee. Every Democrat should be glad Bernie stayed in to drive up turnout for the state races. Based on the timing of his announcement (before the results were even in in Wisconsin), I'm wondering if that was his intent.

[LaurenOlimina]

52. We are all going to have to risk our lives to vote.

in every primary.
in the general.

It is the way now.

[Demsrule86]

53. And told supporters to keep voting, thus risking their lives in future primary votes.

[padah513]

59. While I am not a Sanders supporter

I don't think you can equate what happened yesterday with him suspending today. The fault there lies exclusively with the Republican legislation and the supreme court of Wisconsin. If anything, I think he may have suspended so that there were no more Republican-enforced in-person primaries taking place this election cycle. I may be wrong, but that's what I choose to believe.

[FloridaBlues]

61. I think he stepped down because he lost to biden bigly in Wisconsin yesterday

[nolabear]

63. Time to beat that sword into a plowshare.

[lark]

64. He's NOT suspending his candidacy, just his in-person campaign.

He's forcing Biden and his own supporters to live vote in red states and risk their health for his vanity. He can't think he can win this way, he can't - the only thing he is doing with this is risk the health and lives of progressives in red states for his own benefit. He is protecting his own health, but not ours.

[LizBeth]

65. Right. Then on top of that still has ads asking for money, with no campaign to run, while staying

on all the tickets. So not what Democrats do.

[whistler162]

72. The primaries where secondary

to the local and statewide elections.

https://elections.wi.gov/node/6524

Second spreadsheet lists a lot of statewide and local positions up for vote.

[marmar]

73. Jesus let it go.