opinion

Party elites don't want you to vote for Bernie Sanders. They made the same mistake in 2016

Are Democrats really making the same mistake with Bernie Sanders that cost them the White House in 2016?

Stunningly, Pete Buttigieg dropped out of the race and quickly backed the Democratic Party’s favorite, former Vice President Joe Biden.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar followed shortly thereafter, abandoning her presidential bid and backing Biden as well. It sure is beginning to seem like a coordinated attack against Sen. Bernie Sanders’ momentum heading into Super Tuesday.

It may look like the smart thing to do to stop the self-defined “socialist” who the party establishment doesn’t think can defeat Trump. But not letting rank-and-file Democrats decide is a mistake.

The party elite did something similar in 2016, backing Hillary Clinton and dismissing Sanders, seemingly for the same reasons. And just look how things turned out.

The same party elites are now stubbornly pushing one of their own by eliminating Biden’s centrist competition. It’s infuriating to see the elitist Democrats showing their disdain for letting ordinary Americans have their say.

It can’t be a coincidence that Buttigieg, the young, centrist former small-town mayor, abandoned the race to boost Biden’s chance on Super Tuesday when more than a dozen states, including California and Texas, vote. And it certainly can’t be a coincidence for Klobuchar, the other centrist, to drop out either.

Don’t expect the party elite to admit that they are doing the arm-twisting to clear the way for Biden, who served as Barack Obama’s No. 2 guy. But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what’s going on.

The elite’s arrogance is appalling. Either they really don’t trust the rank-and-file or they don’t care about them.

Maybe they'll succeed in stopping Bernie Sanders, who has national appeal, especially among young Americans.

But they may also be killing those young Americans’ enthusiasm and in doing so, may once again be handing over the White House to Trump.

Elvia Díaz is an editorial columnist for The Republic and azcentral. Reach her at 602-444-8606 or elvia.diaz@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter, @elviadiaz1.