In all of his previous presidential runs, Joe Biden never won a single primary election. Things changed dramatically with this year's Super Tuesday vote. Not only did former Vice President Biden win 10 of the 14 states, putting him in the lead in delegate count. All of the centrist rivals to Biden dropped out in rapid succession, leaving him as the only candidate left to challenge democratic socialist Bernie Sanders for the nomination.
In a matter of days, Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, Mike Bloomberg and Elizabeth Warren all dropped out of the race. And the first three all endorsed Biden in their announcements.
Behind the scenes, the Democratic Party establishment--senior members of congress, former presidents and cabinet officials, state and national party officers and Wall Street party financiers--concluded that if they wanted to avoid a replay of the disastrous 2016 election, they had to get all mainstream factions to converge behind a single candidate before Sanders ran away with enough delegates to secure a first ballot win. Sanders backers cried "fix" after the Super Delegates gave Hillary Clinton the first ballot nomination--and many stayed home or voted for third party candidate Jill Stein, helping give Donald Trump the margin of victory.
Joe Biden was the natural choice for the party mainstream old guard. President Obama's loyal Vice President, former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees, Biden was the known personality. Party officials were uneasy about Mayor Mike Bloomberg and his billion dollar deep pockets, remembering he floated between the Democratic and Republican Parties and independence. With Bloomberg's endorsement of Biden, accompanied by a pledge to do everything in his power to defeat Donald Trump, Biden might inherit the state-of-the-art campaign structure that Bloomberg created, using the resources of his corporate empire.
If all that transpires, and Biden continues on the path to the nomination, he could give President Donald Trump a serious run. With the impact of the Coronavirus on the economy, the stock market and the national mood still unknown, President Trump's ability to ride into reelection on the strength of the economy is no longer so certain. Economists who thought that 2021-2022 would be the earliest point of a major economic downturn and market correction are now warning that 2020 could see a global recession--possibly a replay of 2008. That is if the COVID-19 virus does turn into a global pandemic, another big unknown.
Biden's turnaround from underperformer to frontrunner began in South Carolina one week before Super Tuesday, when he won a significant victory--on the strength of an eloquent endorsement by Representative Jim Clyburn, a highly respected 27-year House veteran and former head of the Congressional Black Caucus. Clyburn is one of the party elders who made the decision to throw their support behind Biden.
Biden grabbed a larger than expected share of the Texas Hispanic vote after being endorsed by Beto O'Rourke. O'Rourke's father-in-law is a major figure in the economy of the Rio Grande River Valley and he carried a lot of weight among Hispanic voters.
Democratic pollsters have been warning for months that if Bernie Sanders got the nomination, the party would suffer the worst across-the-board defeat since the 1972 election when George McGovern was clobbered by Richard Nixon. Clearly their message resonated and the Democratic Party elders responded in unison.
The race for the nomination is far from over, but the contours of the race to the convention have dramatically shifted.
Over at MakeaMeme.org you can buy a mug with the message "Hi, I'm Joe Biden and I forgot this message" printed. I suggest Trump should get one, and also get his own cup with the message "Hi, I'm Donald Trump and you can forget Joe Biden." If you--justifiably--kill this in moderation, I hope it gives you a laugh.
Posted by: Clwydshire | 08 March 2020 at 03:54 PM
Jack,
When did Nancy Pelosi become a Republican, or did you not notice the conduct of the House these past 3 years? The Pentagon does not control of the US medical system like you propose, though Bernie might see that as a good idea. As to the FDA he did order them to change the regulation put in place by a prior administration which forbade state labs from doing their own testing.
Posted by: Fred | 08 March 2020 at 03:58 PM
It's Chinese germ warfare panic to crush internal dissent and interfere with the US election.
Don't say! and here I had thought it was again Putin? Or is he innit too? And of course the virus was designed in China to rather ineffectually kill their own population.
I just am not too clear on how the Virus would affect the US election.
And of course, those "protest leaders" from HK hobknobbing with US politicians are likely in some Uighur camp for reeducation...let me draw my tinfoil hat in honour for your insight..
Posted by: Peter | 08 March 2020 at 03:58 PM
Since it was requested, link goes to one of the NPR articles covering union fraud in Michigan.
https://www.npr.org/2019/09/12/760264386/fiat-chrysler-kickback-scandal-widens-fbi-raids-uaw-heads-home
There are more but putting more than one link seems to cause issues.
Steve
Posted by: steve | 08 March 2020 at 05:38 PM
Peter,
The panic isn't real? Causing panic isn't an objective in a war? It's not like there's a trade war going on with the US.
The virus sure is real but do you trust China's information? What is the death total in China now since the reported fatality rate of the virus is 3-4% of those infected, or roughly 30 times that of the "regular" flu and it is supposedly much easier to contract and even be re-infected? How about the press? Is there any information left out that might be important? What's their track record since Trump got elected?
Posted by: Fred | 08 March 2020 at 07:52 PM
All the posters mentioning Biden and senility, have you listened to Trump speak. He is inarticulate, exhibiting word salad and his conversations all center on me me me. I voted for Biden, his son is not running, Joe is.
Posted by: NancyK | 09 March 2020 at 11:34 AM
Thanks for writing this informative article. I needed some information on this topic. And you've provided me that information. I am really thankful to you for that. Continue to provide more stuff like this
Posted by: maxx sin | 09 March 2020 at 11:43 PM
" My . . My . . . you know, the thing! . . . is Joe Biden! And I . . . forgot this message!"
Posted by: different clue | 10 March 2020 at 12:22 AM
Mr Lamng,
re I doubt that you are the same CP that we used to know.
Didn't we have that already a few times? I repeat it again, for the last time:
I am the same CP I was before my accident related absence. What has changed? Well, I now know that coma sucks and am less good at walking.
If you want to believe that I now have ... mutated, am a mean heir or a hacker who has hacked the "original CP's" account - to see it that way is your choice. It is also incorrect.
Posted by: confusedponderer | 11 March 2020 at 05:52 AM
CP
"Laming?"
Posted by: turcopolier | 11 March 2020 at 08:54 AM
Seamus Padraig,
If "winning" means "getting what you wanted", then I think the Catfood Clintobamacrats have also won. Their Prime Directive was no nominee Sanders. Never. Ever. And unless Sanders monopoly-wins every primary and caucus to come, it looks like the Catfood Clintobamacrats have achieved that.
I have a sneaking feeling that the Catfood Democrats' secret plan is to get Biden safely nominated, choose a reliable Clintobamacrat VP for him, and then discover that he is too senile to run. At that point they will un-install Biden from the ticket and install a Catfood Democrat of their own choosing.
The smell may repel millions of Sanders voters from voting for Candidate Catfood. That would help Trump win even biglier than otherwise.
Posted by: different clue | 11 March 2020 at 03:11 PM