Let us continue to fearlessly champion the issues and causes that brought us together. Whether it is ending the epidemic of gun violence or dismantling structural racism or successfully confronting climate change, we will continue to organize and mobilize and act.
Beto has dropped out. Already Mike Gravel, John Hickenlooper, Eric Swalwell, Jay Inslee, Seth Moulton, Kirsten Gillibrand, Bill de Blasio and Tim Ryan have dropped out. (Richard Ojeda dropped out before the primaries began.)
Who's still in?
War Hawk Joe Biden. Said to be the most electable -- this despite the fact that he currently is fourth in Iowa -- the first state that will make their preference known. War Hawk Joe loves to sniff women and girls. But he's electable. He's often unaware what city or state he's in. But he's electable. He's against Medicare For All and anything that would benefit the people and not the corporations. But he's electable.
Really? He doesn't seem electable at all. And Wally, Kat, Ava and C.I. speak around the country every week. They speak to, among others, college students and high school students. And they've seen no enthusiasm at all for Joe. No growing enthusiasm, no waning enthusiasm, no enthusiasm at all.
In the last election, Hillary supporters like to point out that Clinton got more votes than anyone who's run for president before. And yet it wasn't enough to win the election.
Hillary had a large number of supporters -- not just people who voted for her, but people who actively supported her. She also had going for her the fact that she would have been historic -- the first woman elected president of the United States.
Yet even with all of that -- not to mention a media that was in the tank for her and, as her campaign wanted, promoted Donald Trump on the GOP side -- she didn't end up in the White House.
So the notion that a candidate who promotes no enthusiasm at all is going to beat Donald Trump?
Donald Trump still has strong core support. And THE COMMON ILLS pointed out in 2016 that the polls were not reflecting reality for Trump support. That was because (A) the press was insisting he was a bad candidate (not opinion journalist, but reporters) which brought shame and embarrassment if you identified as a Trump supporter and B his supporters were angry and wanted to mess with the press so they were giving false responses.
Though non-Trump supporters may have hardened against him, his supporters continue to support him.
2020 is going to require a candidate who can excite voters.
That's not Joe Biden.
It could be Bernie Sanders. It could be Elizabeth Warren. It could be Kamala Harris. It could be Pete Buttigeig. It could be Marianne Williamson. It could be Andrew Yang. It could be Tulsi Gabbard. It could be Julian Castro. It could be Cory Booker. It could be -- Honestly, it could be anyone but Joe Biden.
You're harming yourself if you're arguing otherwise. If your most important goal in the 2020 election is defeating Donald Trump, you really need to get honest. Joe has no momentum.
Admitting that the day after the general election is not going to help anyone.
Joe is currently in fourth place in Iowa.
Grasp that.
No one in the race is better known than Joe. And he's at number four. That should bother anyone determined to oust Donald.
Joe does well nationally because he has name recognition. He's inhabited the Senate for years -- like a bed bug that you couldn't get rid of. When he did finally leave, he did so to become Vice President.
No one's better known than Joe.
Which makes him an easy answer to furnish -- especially if you aren't paying attention.
The first two states that will make their preferences known? Iowa and New Hampshire.
And they're paying attention, they're making their choices. Guess what? Joe's not their choice.
If you're paying attention, Joe's not your choice.
Even his campaign has stressed to the press that he will probably lose in Iowa and New Hampshire.
That's our most electable candidate? Someone who currently is running fourth in Iowa?
He's behind Elizabeth, Bernie and Pete right now.
Pete has no national name either than what's come about this year as he's run for the nomination. And Pete is kicking his ass. Bernie and Elizabeth are also kicking his ass.
So stop pretending that Joe is the most electable.
He's the easy answer for people who are called on the phone and asked who they are supporting even though they're not really paying attention. It's really easy to say "Joe Biden."
Don't be fooled right now unless you're hoping to gift Donald Trump with a second term. If that's your goal, keep pretending that Joe Biden -- who has no real support among young people -- is going to inspire and create a huge turnout.
Grasp that he can't just match Hillary's turnout. He has to do better. And Joe lacks the excitement that Hillary created.
