Feeling the reality
The Democratic establishment that Bernie Sanders so loathed can finally exhale. The Vermont senator dropped out of the 2020 presidential race Wednesday, allowing former Vice President Joe Biden to claim the title of presumptive nominee.
Sanders’ withdrawal, delivered by video to a shutin nation during the coronavirus pandemic, lifted the specter of a repeat of the 2016 campaign when his acrimonious battle with eventual nominee Hillary Clinton extended through the primaries and spilled into the convention. At least some of his supporters could not bring themselves to support Clinton and either sat out the election or even voted for Republican Donald Trump.
In his video announcement, 78yearold Sanders acknowledged the reality that has been apparent since Biden’s Super Tuesday rout: He was not going to win the nomination. Even his ability to draw media attention or stage his highenergy rallies have been preempted with the nation’s absorption with the worst pandemic in a century and the shelterinplace orders in the vast majority of states.
“I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour,” Sanders said.
The selfdescribed democratic socialist can draw satisfaction in knowing that his forceful arguments on issues such as Medicare for all, free college tuition and higher minimum wages helped steer the party to the left. On Wednesday, Sanders said, “Our movement has won the ideological struggle,” and there was no denying its influence over the past two elections. It’s noteworthy that Biden and the centrist candidates in the field, while rejecting Sanders’ more absolutist stances, made a point of offering tempered alternatives to each of those issues during the campaign.
Not surprisingly, President Trump immediately tried to inflame any lingering divisions from the campaign, comparing the outcome to “the Crooked Hillary fiasco” and claiming “Bernie would have won almost every state on
Super Tuesday” if not for the presence of Sen. Elizabeth Warren. He added, “The Bernie people should come to the Republican Party, TRADE!”
But how many will vote to reelect Trump — or, equally ominous for Biden, leave that space blank or go for a thirdparty candidate? The answer could have a significant effect on the outcome of what is expected to be another close election. It remains to be seen how emphatically Sanders embraces the Biden candidacy. For now, Sanders said he would remain on future primary ballots, allowing him to collect more delegates and thus enhance his clout at the convention. Will he stay magnanimous if his agenda is not reflected in the party platform?
“While this campaign is coming to an end, our movement is not,” Sanders said. On Wednesday, his movement was toward the pragmatic and advancing the goal he always claimed was his No. 1: defeating President Trump in the Nov. 3 election.