No, you're right, I'm not saying Bernie should've gone scorched earth, but I think Bernie was definitely too friendly and gracious with Biden.
I remember after super tuesday happened, exit polls came out showing that Biden won among people who supported things like medicare for all, raising the minimum wage, and other core parts of Bernie's platform. The problem was that Bernie did not do enough to draw contrasts. Polls showed that the most important thing to primary voters was beating Trump, and yet Bernie did not cast significant doubts about Biden's ability to do that. He did the opposite, and said Biden was a fine choice for that.
So why should people vote for Bernie if Bernie himself thinks Biden is nearly as good a choice? That was the thought process of many lower information voters I talked to throughout the primary. They really thought Biden was going to deliver on some portion of Bernie's policies. Letting that assumption go unchallenged I think was a huge mistake Bernie made.
I agree with a lot of what you're saying. I can't help but thinking it's easier said than done, though, especially if we start talking about low-information voters who tune this stuff out until a week or two before the vote. I'm trying to think of how Bernie could have better distinguished himself from Biden in a way that (1) would have made it through to people not paying close attention and (2) wouldn't have been perceived as overly negative. It's hard to thread that needle.
Yeah definitely, in actuality Bernie needed to straddle a very fine line. I was posting going along with the assumption of the OP that the 2020 primary was actually extremely winnable, and Bernie simply fumbled it.
IF that is the case, then I think the problem was Bernie going too soft on Biden. But that is a big if.
No, you're right, I'm not saying Bernie should've gone scorched earth, but I think Bernie was definitely too friendly and gracious with Biden.
I remember after super tuesday happened, exit polls came out showing that Biden won among people who supported things like medicare for all, raising the minimum wage, and other core parts of Bernie's platform. The problem was that Bernie did not do enough to draw contrasts. Polls showed that the most important thing to primary voters was beating Trump, and yet Bernie did not cast significant doubts about Biden's ability to do that. He did the opposite, and said Biden was a fine choice for that.
So why should people vote for Bernie if Bernie himself thinks Biden is nearly as good a choice? That was the thought process of many lower information voters I talked to throughout the primary. They really thought Biden was going to deliver on some portion of Bernie's policies. Letting that assumption go unchallenged I think was a huge mistake Bernie made.
I agree with a lot of what you're saying. I can't help but thinking it's easier said than done, though, especially if we start talking about low-information voters who tune this stuff out until a week or two before the vote. I'm trying to think of how Bernie could have better distinguished himself from Biden in a way that (1) would have made it through to people not paying close attention and (2) wouldn't have been perceived as overly negative. It's hard to thread that needle.
Yeah definitely, in actuality Bernie needed to straddle a very fine line. I was posting going along with the assumption of the OP that the 2020 primary was actually extremely winnable, and Bernie simply fumbled it.
IF that is the case, then I think the problem was Bernie going too soft on Biden. But that is a big if.
I think the meme is conflating "most winnable (for leftists) in living memory" with "good odds."