Gallup: Majority of Dems Still Value Electability Over Anything Else and Want a Moderate Candidate

The simple fact is Biden is the one who is most likely to win an election against Trump, and that's all that matters to anyone sane.

Getting that fucker out of the Oval office.

it seems that Biden definitely has the best path to the nomination. His polls in Iowa are all over the place from leading to being in 5th place and he looks to be in third place in New Hampshire. But then has big leads in Nevada and South Carolina and should take a lot of the super Tuesday states. I think he will be the clear leader after super Tuesday. Especially if Pete or Sanders manages to beat Warren in Iowa. If Biden wins Iowa then it's all over, he's got the nomination.

I'm for whomever is most likely to win, period. If it's Bernie in a month, I'm fine with him. Biden's fine. Any of them are fine.

Yep.

I was petsitting for wealthy friend while she and her husband were in Europe. They returned late Saturday night, and my friend called to thank me. We started talking politics, and I was shocked she was so dismissive of Warren and Buttigieg (I already knew we both detested Bernie). Warren is just too far left in her opinion, and as for Mayor Pete, she said "[my name here], he's GAY! Are you kidding me?!"

Now my friends are native southern California liberal intellectuals, so I was shocked a bit. But living in red states as we do, it is so clear the most important thing--the ONLY thing-- is getting Trump out and a Democrat in. And far left or gay can work in 2024 or 2028, but not in 2020. It just won't.

Bill Clinton never won Iowa or New Hampshire either.

That's PRESIDENT Bill Clinton.

It's gotta be Biden. It's the way to get it done. The important thing is who is his VP? Because Biden will only do one term. He wants to go down in history as the Gentleman President, who restored honour, dignity and norms to Washington.

r7, I've never heard Biden so once that he's only going to serve for one term; where are you getting that from?

Biden hasn't pledged to run for just one term.

I'm still fine with any of them.

this system where the voters are expected to do the politicking for the politicians for some reason is clearly flawed. electability should never have to be a consideration in your voting choices

Purely an assumption on my part, R8... of course he can't say it because lame duck is difficult, but realistically he will not try to do two terms. I am sure in his heart he sees this as a caretaker presidency, a mission to right the ship, and he'll tinker away at improvements but his main job is to get that pig out of our face and the country off everybody's shit list.

I have a lot of regard for Joe Biden. I believe he is a decent man and maybe I'm projecting, but I think he sees himself as a solution to a terrible problem, but he wouldn't be running if he didn't believe he had to. Recall, he didn't come out of the gate talking M4A, he came out talking about the nation's soul. Sounded like rubbish, but I think that's why he's doing what he's doing. I guess that's why I defend him a lot. He intends to heal things in a way many of the other candidates don't or can't. I see one massive problem in this country. It's orange. We've got time to solve everything else but if we don't solve that, we don't solve anything.

Sorry, R11, I accidentally F&Fed you when I meant to W&W you.

Muriel, may we get an "Undo rating" button, or at least a larger separation between the F&F and W&W buttons, please? Not all of us have slim dainty digits.

[QUOTE] Biden hasn't pledged to run for just one term.

Pledging to only serve one term in the middle of a primary would be suicidal. Nobody wants to vote for someone who questions whether or not they can last for eight years. Bernie Sanders is older than Biden and just had a friggin heart attack, yet never in a million years would he say “I’m only here for one term.”

Strange how the media doesn’t question Bernie about running for a second term, though. You’d think Joe was the one who had a heart attack.

Makes sense considering Biden still has a plurality of the Democratic vote in polls...as much as some people want to pretend no one wants him.

Only coastal elites who favor Liz or Bernie are against BIden.

I think a Biden/Warren ticket is the best bet we have at this point. Yes, a lot can change in a year, but they’d bring in the moderates and the progressives respectively, and I personally have no problem with someone saying they’ll run for one term. It all comes down to framing, and saying you’re not going to be running for re-election should be framed as not caring about what the money wants, but being able to serve the people’s interests unhindered by being a “politician”.

I don’t see any of the other moderates having the across the spectrum enthusiasm behind them that Biden has, and I don’t think a progressive at the top of the ticket is a winning strategy in 2020. People want a return to normal, and now is not the time to make big structural changes, other than closing the loopholes that have been ravaged and exploited the past 3 years.

Biden is being pushed on everybody as the “chosen one”, the only one who can win. Basically he’s Hillary and we all know how that turned out.

If Biden becomes the nominee, we are basically voting for his running mate to be President... so you better damn well hope he picks somebody competent.

He really should just announce his running mate now, before any primaries take place. So the voters can understand what they’re actually voting for with him.

[QUOTE] Biden is being pushed on everybody as the “chosen one”, the only one who can win.

😂 Who exactly is pushing him?

Planning to serve only one term at this point is nothing short of selfish and entitled. The damage that the current occupant has caused will not be cleaned up in just one term. So we're pretty much going to be back in the same boat come 2024, only this time perhaps with a Republican party that has been allowed to have gotten its shit together (Because Biden is big on Republican appeasement and forgiveness).

And in the case of a Biden or Sanders, you're not just going to have to vote for a President, you're going to have to essentially vote for two, because the Vice Presidential choice is going to be equally if not more important, because that person is going to definitely going to have to take the reins come 2024. The fact that no one is remotely even thinking of that now is not good. Once again, people want the quick fix and the quick way out of this situation. But they're not sitting down and fully evaluating the situation. They read the initial polls and are clinging to this guy.

I just don't get it. Coming from having to listen to and read about how Hillary was shoved in the publics faces, and how there wasn't a field of candidates that people could choose from. This time we have a glut of candidates. We have great moderates who have modern viewpoints on current issues . And yet, no one seems remotely interested in learning about them. It's been Biden the frontrunner even before he announced!

327 million people in this country...and this guy is the best one to be in charge??!

Nope.

Come on, Man!

No, [R22], Biden isn't the best....He happens to be THE BEST WE'VE GOT. VOTE FOR HIM, PEOPLE. This madness has to stop.

From today

From today

The one and only goal of the Dems next year is to beat Trump. Period. Fuck the AOC's, the SJWs, the # metoo's, and BLMs and their selfish agendas.

Polls keep showing that Biden has the best chance to beat Trump. WE HAVE TO GET TRUMP OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE NEXT YEAR.

Therefore logically, Biden should be the nominee for President next year.

Seems simple to me.

[quote]Biden isn't the best....He happens to be THE BEST WE'VE GOT. VOTE FOR HIM, PEOPLE. This madness has to stop.

Nope. Warren is the best we’ve got.

[quote]Polls keep showing that Biden has the best chance to beat Trump.

Polls also kept showing that Hillary would win easily.

No polls showed that, R30.

r31 you can easily find reputable sources online that confirmed polls were not accurate in 2016.

if you think more of the same is gonna fix everything R21 you're going to be sorely mistaken imo

Trump so badly wants to face Biden. Not sure why. I would love to see him beat by a woman. but I just want him gone.

The polls were actually quite accurate, R32.

I think Mayor Pete is going to have real trouble in the general election getting black voters pumped up. His polling is anemic and i think after an election cycle where two great black candidates flamed out in governors races, black voters look at this guy and say "why him?" (also the candidate for governor in Florida turned out to be the worlds biggest idiot and wont be able to run for office again but not many people know how he fucked up they just saw him lose in a squeaker)

The polls were showing an easy Hillary win. Which is why MSNBC was spewing shit like this throughout 2016...

Punditry = interpretation of the polls. The signs were there in the polling numbers that Hillary was on thin ice; the pundit class chose to ignore them. That has nothing to do with the polls.

R16, Plenty won't vote for an old White man and that's not just the Progressive coastal elites. Worse there are a lot of scandals swirling around him, and to claim he's better than Trump isn't saying much.

More importantly, who's the hot guy in the yellow shirt in the Biden rally in R26 ?

R34, I've said this before on DL and always gotten dissed in response. You would not believe the amount of dirt on Biden waiting to see the light and exposed. Sure the GOP and Trump will try to vilify any opponent but Biden's past makes it just too easy.

Also Biden doesn't have a young man's stamina and can't be continually propped up.

[quote]You would not believe the amount of dirt on Biden waiting to see the light and exposed.

This. X 1000.

[quote]Plenty won't vote for an old White man and that's not just the Progressive coastal elites

Yes, and plenty of Democratic voters will not vote, AT ALL. Biden and those who think he is the most electable are putting him right down the same path of complacency as Hillary. Another reason she didn't win was because people who normally vote blue didn't cast a vote for anyone in 2016.

They have got to spend more time actually getting people energized so they actually vote like they did for Obama. People who aren't politics junkies do not give a shit about this Dem infighting.

[quote]They have got to spend more time actually getting people energized so they actually vote like they did for Obama.

If you want energized voters...then nominating Biden is a big mistake. An ancient white man who is promoting the status quo excites exactly nobody.

I see the supporters of an old white biddy are coming out of the shadows. Forgot " Pocahontas"? Unelectable socialist.

It worked for the Governor of Louisiana who just won re-election. There was nothing “exciting” about bland white man John Bel Edwards—he isn’t even pro-choice!—yet Democrats turned out in record numbers to vote for him.

Why do you think they turned out r46? I didn’t follow that race at all.

R43, exactly.

As much as people want to think that we'll all just fall in line and vote en masse for whomever the Democratic nominee is, the truth is, you do need someone who energizes people to get those people who don't normally vote to vote.

Biden as a sure bet to beat Trump? I'm not so sure it's going to be as cut and dry as people think.

Well r44 the media and a lot of people here are doing just that. That's why I think Trump has got this one in the bag, again. I said when Hillary lost that unless the Democratic party at large makes a deliberate effort to get more people to actually vote, regardless of candidate, that Trump will have another term. And it looks like its coming true.

The party can no longer rely on transformative candidates like Clinton and Obama motivate voters, like has been done for the last 30 years. You have to start voter initiatives that aren't tied to candidates. That's one thing Republicans have down to a science. They can insert the most objectionable candidate in their machine and they can still win elections.

The road to the White House goes through Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. We need 270 electoral votes. Ramping up the popular vote totals in California and New York won’t get us dick! Those states will be blue regardless. Who cares if Gen Z doesn’t match the 2008 youth vote numbers because Biden doesn’t promise to magically erase all student debt? We need a few thousand more white blue collar votes in those three states couple with black Dem voters in major cities while holding the other states Hillary won in 2016, and the election is ours. Anyone who says Joe Biden can’t do that is lying. If Biden was the nominee in 2016, we wouldn’t be in this shit in the first place.

Biden was the one who chose not to run in 2016 r50, just remember that.

R49, Talk to Republicans who are turned off of Trump and his antics and they'll still be able to come up with at least a few policies pushed by Democratic candidates that make them recoil in disgust. I don't care if DL posters think that they'll never be passed by Congress. It doesn't matter as they still horrify Independents as well.

[QUOTE] Why do you think they turned out? I didn’t follow that race at all.

They turned out because they wanted to vote against Donald Trump and that piece of shit candidate for whom who he campaigned so hard.

[QUOTE] Biden was the one who chose not to run in 2016, just remember that.

He chose not to run because Barack Obama told him he shouldn’t do it.

Republicans today are more group- and team-minded and patriotic, and will band together to push for voting for a single candidate, and definitely to vote nonetheless. Today’s Democrats are elitist, self-absorbed, shortsighted and bound to vote only for their own little respective demographics’ favored candidate—or else, to pout and not vote at all.

[quote]Today’s Democrats are elitist, self-absorbed, shortsighted and bound to vote only for their own little respective demographics’ favored candidate—or else, to pout and not vote at all.

NAILED IT!!!

If Joe Biden is such an unexciting dud of a candidate who can’t get Democrats to turn out for him, then his detractors have nothing to worry about. It means that he’ll lose the nomination to one of these hip, exciting candidates with their multi-trillion dollar unicorn plans. All we hear from the media is that there’s no enthusiasm for Joe, right? No crowds, no yard signs, no chipper supporters with “Biden 2020“ uhh, glow sticks I guess. If Joe is such a milquetoast, uninspiring loser then we’ll end up with someone else and the case will be closed.

Who are the hip young candidates? Why are they not in the lead? Harris? Booker? Gabbard? Klobuchar? Why haven't the complaining millennials not united behind one of their own? Seize the narrative. But, it's much easier to call names and complain.

If we don't keep the Congress and get the Senate it won't matter that much as any Democrat in the White House will be unable to get anything done. Of course it's still better than Trump or any Republican but people need to remember how important it is to vote D all the way down the line.

Maybe the polls are wrong, R58. Look at the crowds. Liz Warren and Bernie Sanders both got 20,000 people who came out to see them in New York City.

R47, R53, Go to pro-Republican sites and find out the truth. Like the Conservative politician in KY was defeated because he was widely hated and viewed as an incompetent, corrupt jerk and not because Trump supported him.

Only 50% of the eligible voters cast their ballot on Louisiana. Democratic Gov of LA is anti-abortion and very pro 2nd Amendment. He talks about loving Christ. He's also more Conservative than 90% of the Republican Party.

Also the AG in Louisiana is a Conservative and won bigly. Republicans won a SUPER MAJORITY in LA. Republican candidate for governor got 7% more than the one in the last election but maybe voters just didn't really trust a multi-millionaire businessman to have their best interests at heart and to not be focused on the super wealthy elite. Also the AG in Louisiana is a conservative and won huge Republicans won a SUPER MAJORITY in Louisiana.

[QUOTE] Like the Conservative politician in KY was defeated because he was widely hated and viewed as an incompetent, corrupt jerk

Why does that sound so familiar?

R54, So exactly why isn't Obama now strongly endorsing his former VP even though he's not a rock the boat Progressive the ex-President this week claimed won't have a chance to win? What exactly does Obama know about Biden that makes him not such a good candidate?

Why would other moderates like Deval Patrik and Bloomberg be eyeing the race if Biden was really a sure thing?

[quote]The road to the White House goes through Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

It is decided in Florida. More electoral votes, and the state is the absolute turning point of every election. None of these candidates are impressing any Democratic voters here, by focusing all their energies on these blue collar voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, etc. Florida should be a sure thing for every Democratic candidate now, no excuses. But they always wait to the last minute to campaign here, and people end up not sending in those critical ballots. History has shown time and time again that every. single. vote counts in Florida.

I am SICK of sitting up every election night to see these razor thin margins in the state, with the cable news commentators waiting with bated breath to call the state around midnight, which ultimately decides the winner. Get your asses here so you can get those electoral votes and seal the deal.

Florida is a red state and a lost cause.

This race will be decided in PA, WI, and MI just like it was last time.

R64, Which issues do FL voters prioritize? Would they vote for a young gay man?

Biden, and to a lesser extent Pete, are the only Dem candidates who have the ability to connect with Middle American voters.

Florida is not a red state.

[quote]Biden, and to a lesser extent Pete, are the only Dem candidates who have the ability to connect with Middle American voters.

Wrong.

[QUOTE] So exactly why isn't Obama now strongly endorsing his former VP

I don’t know what goes through his head half the time. I love the guy but he’s not exactly the most decisive person, and many of his decisions (like pushing Biden aside and foisting Hillary on us in 2016) are suspect to say the least. It’s not necessarily a reflection on Obama’s feelings toward Joe.

[quote]Florida is a red state and a lost cause.

Not a lost cause for George W Bush who's presidency rested on 1 vote in Florida.

Not a lost cause for Barack Obama who won Florida twice.

You'd be foolish to leave 29 electoral votes on the table for states with half as many.

Florida is like Missouri and possibly Ohio. It’s drifted decidedly into the red camp.

I take that back.

Donald Trump is all the energizing a thinking Democrat needs. And if he isn't, they deserve what's coming.

[quote]So exactly why isn't Obama now strongly endorsing his former VP even though he's not a rock the boat Progressive the ex-President this week claimed won't have a chance to win? What exactly does Obama know about Biden that makes him not such a good candidate?

Here's Obama's view.... Former US President Barack Obama has issued a warning to Democratic presidential candidates, cautioning them against policies that are not "rooted in reality". Mr Obama said Democrats risked alienating voters if they lurched too far to the left politically. The former president, speaking at a fundraising event, said most voters didn't want to "tear down the system".Instead, he used the appearance to urge Democrats to "pay some attention" to voters on issues such as health care and immigration. These voters, Mr Obama said, did not necessarily have the same views as what he called "certain left-leaning Twitter feeds" or "the activist wing of our party".

He's not dividing the party during the primary by backing a candidate but he plainly has a point of view about electability... he will campaign for the nominee... but the the candidate he thinks we need does not sound much like Warren or Sanders.

R70, Please explain why Obama's actions "are not necessarily a reflection of his feelings towards Joe," as I beg to differ with you. Obama couldn't have sent a clearer message that he does not believe Biden should be the nominee.

[QUOTE] Obama couldn't have sent a clearer message that he does not believe Biden should be the nominee.

What the hell has he done to send that message?

[quote]Which issues do FL voters prioritize?

Everything. The state is extremely diverse, healthcare, jobs, immigration, climate change (hurricanes). You name it.

[quote]Would they vote for a young gay man?

The population who would vote for him would have to be motivated to vote in large numbers: millennials, Gen Z, those in urban areas. But he is probably going to be so focused on those midwest voters that he wont concentrate on winning over young people who will actually vote for him.

R77, Read between the lines of the linked article.

"Look at the crowds. Liz Warren and Bernie Sanders both got 20,000 people who came out to see them in New York City."

How many times does it need to be said that New York City is irrelevant to this election? Stop trying to foist a candidate who cannot win on the Dems.

I was being sarcastic, R80.

R79... are you sure you aren't seeing what you want to see? Obama's concern seems to me that Biden isn't a bad nominee but a bad campaigner. One is surmountable.

Warren is drawing huge crowds in Pennsylvania as well.

So did Bernie in 2016, r83. It's the general election that matters when independents and moderate Republicans get to vote that count more. And last check anyway, Biden was leading in Pennsylvania.

Losing Pennsylvania in 2016 is just utterly disgraceful. Still got a bad taste in my mouth over that one. Never would’ve happened with Joe as the Dem nominee. Not in a million years would he have lost Pennsylvania. Just shameful.

Yup, r85. Joe would have taken the state.

It’s simple. Take the battleground states, poll likely voters, and see who would do best against Trump.

If only Joe hadn't also deferred to the her turn bullshit.

Debate is tonight?

Pennsylvania

Michigan

Wisconsin

Which Democratic candidate will likely voters and low-information voters want?

That’s all that matters if you want to get as close to guaranteeing that Trump loses.

R91, I know this is petty, but I can't stand Klobuchar's Debbie Downer face -- combined with her bitch reputation. Why is she still in the race? Does she expect some magical come-from-behind surge?

DARVO: deny, attack, reverse victim and offender.

Sorry wrong threat.

[quote]I can't stand Klobuchar's Debbie Downer face -- combined with her bitch reputation.

She's really a bitch behind the scenes? how come we are just hearing this...

Maybe Biden could be the candidate to get Georgia to turn blue in 2020.

[quote]It’s simple. Take the battleground states, poll likely voters, and see who would do best against Trump.

And also...listen to the people on the ground in those states.

We told you there were no yard signs and no enthusiasm for Hillary in 2016, and we were told to shut up.

And now we’re telling you that Warren is drawing huge crowds in Pennsylvania. And there’s no enthusiasm for Joe Biden here.

Nominate him at your own peril. You’ve been warned.

You say “nominate him at your own peril” like he’s being selected by a committee. If he wins it will be because more Democrats voted for him. Hillary didn’t lose those states because people weren’t enthusiastic about her, she lost because she completely neglected them during the general election, taking for granted that they’d remain blue. Joe Biden won’t make that mistake. His campaign headquarters will be in Pennsylvania, for christ sake. He’s already improving from 2016.

But, dammit, R97 says there is no enthusiasm for him! And he's ... he's polled... she's ... R97 says... invoking WE... ominously.

[italic]Heed our warning or perish as thy fate![/italic]

[quote]And now we’re telling you that Warren is drawing huge crowds in Pennsylvania. And there’s no enthusiasm for Joe Biden here.

Absolutely not true on the Biden comment.

Young citizens don’t want a moderate - they want Bernie.

Unfortunately, young voters hardly vote

Even if all the young people voted its still not enough to win. You have to get votes from all demographics, like Obama did.

Which candidate understands this video the best?

r102, that's why they called it the Obama coalition.

LIke the FDR coalition from more than half a century ago.