Why is Bernie Sanders non viable as a candidate?

[jordancatalano4ever]

I’m curious what the rationale is for why so many of you do not want him as the democratic candidate?

So for clarity I was all in for Hilary because she was so much more nuanced and prepared in addressing a variety of issues. Warren and Harris have been my top two this primary season for similar reasons.

I’m aware of the general criticisms like he’s an independent using the Democratic Party/resources. He’s extremely one note. Everything circles back to income inequality. He never accomplished nearly as much in his extensive career as a senator as others did with far less tenure.

Beyond that though, what are the major barriers? I ask because here in Texas it seems there is a tremendous amount of support for him. I’m just wondering what if he gets the most delegates after all?

[heyjude]

He’s never ever been properly vetted. The campaign against him writes itself. Trump wants him to be the nominee for good reason.

[georgeglass]

To start, he's not a Democrat.

[scout8]

His recent heart attack is a big problem for me.

Also, when he isn't pretending to be a democrat, he calls himself a democratic socialist. I know that those of us here understand what that means, but many voters won't. The Republican party will have a field day calling him a socialist and scare people to death.

[NewOrleans]

Works cited: @angryharpy

been in Congress a long time and has little to show for it. If this supposed revolution is so important, why did he wait until he was over 70 to go national with it? Warren has a trajectory that is like many women who did not set out to enter elected office.

2) He’s shown piss poor leadership skills. He hires toxic people. He was super dismissive of the sexual harassment allegations from his 2016 campaign.

3) He’s not that smart. If you read the transcripts of the interviews that both Hillary and Bernie did with the editorial board of the NY Daily News in 2016, it’s clear that he really doesn’t understand the nuances of the financial markets he wants to regulate.

4) He’s got a long history of being misogyny adjacent. He endorsed Cenk Uygur. He cut that ad with Joe Rogan. His senior adviser, Jeff Weaver, called Hillary Clinton UNQUALIFIED in 2016. He didn’t have a single woman in his top 10 paid staffers in 2016. AYFKM?

5) His record as a progressive is only progressive if you accept his, and only his, definition of progressivism. His track record on guns and immigration are bad. While he’s pro choice, he’s definitely talked about abortion being a “distraction” before, as though abortion isn’t an economic issue. His campaign is all about free college but rarely ever mentions childcare - his website has literally one sentence dedicated to it - even though childcare would help far more people more immediately than free college.

6) He’s grumpy and and doesn’t do a good job of demonstrating empathy. At a town hall, a woman asked him about combating sexual assault and he pivoted to equal pay for women. I obviously support measures to close the pay gap, but he just showed no ability to listen, empathize, and respond in a truly compassionate human way.

7) His health. He’ll be 79 on Inauguration Day. He’s had a heart attack. He hasn’t released his medical records. He claims to be building a movement, but a sustainable movement shouldn’t rely on one person. He should be able to step down today for health reasons and the movement shouldn’t be in disarray regarding its leader.

[taratru]

Basically what NewOrleans said.

And I am beyond tired of white-haired men yelling at me.

[NewOrleans]

Also, are we doing this again?

[penguingrrl]

@neworleans/@angryharpy said it perfectly. It sums it all up.

It’s not that I disagree with what he wants or think it’s too extreme to get someone elected, it’s his insistence that income inequality is the only problem while ignoring systemic racism that no amount of money can fix. It’s his dismissing all other discussions or tying them only to income inequality while ignoring social structures that have nothing to do with money (racism and misogyny being the big ones). He has absolutely no nuance at all, and no understanding of deeper issues and has never released more than talking points for what he wants.

[yentl]

BI think a lot of never Trump conservatives are willing to vote for a democrat, but not Bernie. I'm a leftie and I don't even want to vote for him (of course, I will if he's the nominee) so I get it.

Having said that, it seems unlikely to me that anyone thinks they can predict who can and can't win. We are living in the upside down. Anything could happen.

[boiler717]

I think he is not willing to listen to other view points and is not good at persuading others to come together. He’s divisive. He refuses incremental change in the name of purity.
One of my biggest stylist problems with the GOP is that everything is “my way or the highway,” no consensus building, no compromise. Bernie is the exact same thing.

[AAM2012]

Did OP list every problem Bernie has in the post and then ask why we don’t like him....?


I also find it weird that there’s support for him in Texas of all states...

[NewOrleans]

Feb 16, 2020 10:59:52 GMT -5 AAM2012 said:

Did OP list every problem Bernie has in the post and then ask why we don’t like him....?


I also find it weird that there’s support for him in Texas of all states...

No they asked why he’s non viable which is different imo

[AAM2012]

Feb 16, 2020 11:14:14 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

Feb 16, 2020 10:59:52 GMT -5 AAM2012 said:

Did OP list every problem Bernie has in the post and then ask why we don’t like him....?


I also find it weird that there’s support for him in Texas of all states...

No they asked why he’s non viable which is different imo

True, to me they’re one of the same but I get it.

[redheadk]

Feb 16, 2020 10:59:52 GMT -5 AAM2012 said:

Did OP list every problem Bernie has in the post and then ask why we don’t like him....?


I also find it weird that there’s support for him in Texas of all states...

I'm in Texas and I actually only really see signs, bumper stickers, etc. for Warren. Our mayor (black, democrat) is stumping hard for Bloomberg (I do not understand that, but okay). I'm not surprised there is support for him here, Texas is huge and has more dems in number than some blue states; I just don't necessarily agree that dems here are overwhelmingly rah-rah for Bernie. 

[NewOrleans]

Feb 16, 2020 11:15:29 GMT -5 AAM2012 said:

Feb 16, 2020 11:14:14 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

No they asked why he’s non viable which is different imo

True, to me they’re one of the same but I get it.

However we have had the non viable discussion ad nauseum for literally 5 years so this should go well! Berners will come in and tell us stupid heifers to get bent. Let the good times roll!

[smock]

For me, personally, I find him divisive and misogynistic. I'm still not happy about his attacks on HRC as unqualified, dragging out the primary in 2016, and calling Planned Parenthood "the establishment." I don’t like his support for anti-choice candidates and his dismissal of the non-economic factors harming society.

But those things don’t make him a non-viable candidate—we’ve elected a lot of old white men with a “my way or the highway” vibe. The biggest factor in his non-viability is his self-proclaimed socialism.

More Americans say they will vote for a woman, a gay person, a Muslim, or an atheist than a socialist. In a Gallup poll from this month, over half of all Americans say they will not vote for a socialist.

news.gallup.com/poll/285563/socialism-atheism-political-liabilities.aspx?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_content=morelink&utm_campaign=syndication

Now, Trump will try to paint the Dem nominee as a socialist regardless of who it is, but Bernie is the only one who will say "Yeah? So what?" It's a huge liability.

[redheadbaker]

Oh, yay, we're doing this again?

[redheadbaker]

Feb 16, 2020 11:34:05 GMT -5 silvercrayon said:

Feb 16, 2020 10:17:08 GMT -5 georgeglass said:

To start, he's not a Democrat.

Yep, he is a socialist!

Shhh, the adults are talking. 

[bowies]

He isn’t a viable candidate because not enough people like him or can be persuaded to vote for him.

The end.

[heat40]

He’s not going to win Florida. Done.

[heyjude]

He could end up the nominee with only a plurality of D support. Seems like a recipe for disaster in the general.

[heyjude]

His whole “thing” for everything from winning A election to implementing His agenda is that he will turn out a “revolution” of new voters. This hasn’t happened. And there is no evidence that this is going to happen. Actually the evidence suggests that it won’t happen.

[heyjude]

This subreddit thread is doing the work for you:

www.reddit.com/r/Enough_Sanders_Spam/comments/f3n8im/giant_opposition_research_thread_on_bernie_sanders/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

[carmenere]

Feb 16, 2020 10:59:52 GMT -5 AAM2012 said:

Did OP list every problem Bernie has in the post and then ask why we don’t like him....?


I also find it weird that there’s support for him in Texas of all states...

I think OP is confusing who is yelling the loudest with which camp has the most support. I don’t doubt there are pockets of organized Bernie bro’s in the more liberal areas of Texas.

[NewOrleans]

Feb 16, 2020 12:53:34 GMT -5 carmenere said:

Feb 16, 2020 10:59:52 GMT -5 AAM2012 said:

Did OP list every problem Bernie has in the post and then ask why we don’t like him....?


I also find it weird that there’s support for him in Texas of all states...

I think OP is confusing who is yelling the loudest with which camp has the most support. I don’t doubt there are pockets of organized Bernie bro’s in the more liberal areas of Texas.

TBH I think we are yelling the loudest

[jordancatalano4ever]

Again. I’m not in any way a part of Bernie’s camp. I was fully behind Hilary. She was the first candidate I donated to and bought swag from. This time I’m throwing my support behind Warren but she’s trailing. Bloomberg is running a massive bait and switch campaign. Klobuchar and Pete are pulling a lot of voters to their side but I don’t think they are going to get the overall numbers they need. I guess my quandary is what if Bernie is the front runner. I can’t imagine the depth Trump will pull us to if he gets another four years. Our party is disjointed with so many camps pulling in different directions. The loudest people are definitely Bernie’s people. So what if they succeed? They pull the most delegates and he gets the nomination. Our early voting starts Tuesday and I’m just feeling concerned about what March 3rd is going to bring.

While all of the concerns stated are important, can we risk not supporting Bernie if he’s the nom? At least he’s pushing a liberal agenda. I don’t know. I’m just not feeling optimistic about anything right now.

[lemoncupcake]

Feb 16, 2020 13:06:49 GMT -5 jordancatalano4ever said:

Again. I’m not in any way a part of Bernie’s camp. I was fully behind Hilary. She was the first candidate I donated to and bought swag from. This time I’m throwing my support behind Warren but she’s trailing. Bloomberg is running a massive bait and switch campaign. Klobuchar and Pete are pulling a lot of voters to their side but I don’t think they are going to get the overall numbers they need. I guess my quandary is what if Bernie is the front runner. I can’t imagine the depth Trump will pull us to if he gets another four years. Our party is disjointed with so many camps pulling in different directions. The loudest people are definitely Bernie’s people. So what if they succeed? They pull the most delegates and he gets the nomination. Our early voting starts Tuesday and I’m just feeling concerned about what March 3rd is going to bring.

While all of the concerns stated are important, can we risk not supporting Bernie if he’s the nom? At least he’s pushing a liberal agenda. I don’t know. I’m just not feeling optimistic about anything right now.

There was a whole post about this last week - nearly everyone here said that they would vote for Bernie, and many said they would actively support his campaign.

He’s incredibly problematic and I don’t think he should be the nominee, but I will not have even a second of hand wringing over whether or not to vote for him.

[ESF]

Feb 16, 2020 13:06:49 GMT -5 jordancatalano4ever said:

While all of the concerns stated are important, can we risk not supporting Bernie if he’s the nom? At least he’s pushing a liberal agenda. I don’t know. I’m just not feeling optimistic about anything right now.

Um, who said they aren’t going to vote for him in the general if he’s the nominee?

[krystee]

We are (begrudgingly) supporting him if he’s the nominee. But a whole bunch of people won’t, and it is almost certain to result in another Trump win, which makes me sick to my stomach.

[ESF]

The GOP opp file on this guy is going to be ridiculous.

He did a weekly radio show in Vermont FOR YEARS. He was on public access tv all the time in Burlington in the 80s. I trust that there are RNC interns who have watched and listened to all of these things and the hits will just keep coming if he’s the nominee.

He spent the 70s not paying child support and stealing electricity and writing essays about women fantasizing about being raped.

His wife is a grifter who bankrupted a college. If he’s the nominee, Barr and Guilani will do to her what they did to Hunter Biden, except this time I’m confident they will find actual crimes.

There is literally a video of him singing naked with Russians floating around the internet. No I’m not kidding. This exists.

Just wait until CNN decides these things are news. It will be over.