Wednesday, April 1, 2020

'Poor Omen': Just 24% of Biden's Supporters 'Very Enthusiastic'—Less Than Half of Trump's 53%

I woke up feeling grief this morning. This well articulated article and accurate assessment is part of the reason why. It’s more than the crises of the coronavirus and the climate. It’s also the truth laid out in this article.
Too many in America are oblivious and uninformed about why Mr. Trump is so incredibly dangerous and why he poses the extreme threat to the welfare of us all that he does. And so many in America are desperate for change and refuse to vote for a status quo candidate that they perceive as the cause of their misery and suffering.
Too many in America also both know AND don’t know the factual record — over the decades and leading up to the present moment — of Joe Biden. Their luke warm enthusiasm, or their conscious awareness of the facts regarding Mr. Biden’s deeply disturbing record, is extremely unlikely to win him the presidency.
Too many also both know and don’t know how we Americans have been propagandized again and again to act against our own best interests and to instead be complicit with the interests of the wealthy few. There are those who will blame Bernie Sanders and our movement for deep systemic change as what will likely bring us four more years of Trump. And many of us will understand the deeper forces — including within the DNC — that will fight fiercely against a government of, by, and for the people because they are determined to maintain their power, even at the expense of re-electing Mr. Trump.
Things look very bleak. The enormous moneyed interests against Bernie Sanders and all that our movement embodies — which are vitally needed dramatic progressive changes that are imperative to the well-being of us all — seeks to force upon us a choice between Trump and Biden. Breaks my heart.
Because on the one end we have a man who suffers from a very similar illness that my mother was imprisoned in for most of her life. Malignant sociopathic narcissism is something that I know well and I am aware without any doubt that this makes Donald Trump the most dangerous president our country has ever had. He even calls the the climate crisis a “hoax” and will fight in every way possible the urgently needed systemic changes such as the Green New Deal in every way possible. This endangers the very lives of my tiny grandchildren. Breaks my heart.
On the other end there is Joe Biden who makes it very clear that he will resist and fight against the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, lifting sanctions in Iran, student debt forgiveness, dismantling the military industrial complex which brings us endless wars, and other vital progressive changes and policies. These choices, and the ideology they’re rooted in, will continue to cause unfathomable suffering, the deaths of millions of humans and non-humans, and further perpetuate our trajectory towards civilization collapse and extinction by even as soon as the end of the century. The one strength that he has over Mr. Trump is that he’s not severely mentally ill, and that matters. But then there’s the cognitive decline...
But Joe Biden will not defeat Trump. The only way possible that I see any possibility of stopping four more years of Trump is (1) if the coronavirus destabilizes Mr. Trump and makes his severe mental illness so obvious that he’s forced out of office, or (2) the powerful corporate forces opposing Bernie Sanders back off and we the people wake up and compel a choice between Trump and Sanders. In that case, Bernie Sanders would win hands down.
But that is unlikely. And I’m grieving.
And I’m also absolutely refusing to give up the fight for a sane, sustainable, just, caring, and peaceful world. We can never stop doing the right thing day by day, researching and informing ourselves, speaking the truth and exposing the lies, taking action in whatever way we can, and uniting in the great struggle for truth, for justice, for compassion, and for love. Molly


Even as former Vice President Joe Biden solidifies his position as the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, a new  ABC News/The Washington Post poll shows fewer than a quarter of Biden's supporters are "very enthusiastic" to vote for him in the general election—a historic low for a Democratic candidate in the survey.

With 24% of Biden's supporters reporting that they are "very enthusiastic" about casting votes for him in November, the former vice president has the lowest level of enthusiastic support of any Democratic candidate in the past two decades, ABC News reported.

Meanwhile, 53% of President Donald Trump's supporters said they were "very enthusiastic" about voting for his re-election in the poll. The poll surveyed 1,003 Americans and had a margin of error of 3.5 points.

Level of Enthusiasm: Among Trump supporters: Very enthusiastic 53% Somewhat enthusiastic 32% Not so/not at all 14% Among Biden supporters: Very enthusiastic 24% Somewhat enthusiastic 49% Not so/not at all 26%

Briahna Joy Gray, press secretary to Biden's remaining primary rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), highlighted the fact that the poll follows numerous surveys showing that a majority of Democratic voters are far apart from Biden in terms of their views on a number of policy ideas, including Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, and a generous paid family leave program.

Biden's campaign has been notable for downplaying key bold and progressive policies like Medicare for All, student debt cancellation, a Green New Deal, and robust paid family leave policies—all key planks that have energized and excited younger voters and others who have flocked to Sanders.

Instead of supporting the candidate who most closely aligns with a majority of voters' views, journalist Branko Marcetic tweeted, Democrats appear to have voted "for what they think other people want," resulting in low enthusiasm for the presumptive nominee.

By contrast, a CNN survey in January that looked at enthusiasm levels of Sanders, Biden, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) supporters found that those backing Sanders were the most excited about their candidate.

Sanders' senior policy advisor, Heather Gautney, tweeted that the latest polling from ABC/Washington Post showed that Biden's campaign must reach out to Sanders' supporters and demonstrate a serious interest in passing broadly popular, progressive reforms should Biden win the general election.

"Quit saying that you would veto Medicare for All," Gautney offered as a piece of advice for Biden.

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