Why Bernie Sanders is the best bet to beat Donald Trump Samantha Cooper Follow Mar 10 · 8 min read

This is an 11th hour resource that will be updated as needed.

Here’s an excerpt from a recent interview for The Intercept podcast with Jeremy Scahill from 03/03/20:

Jeremy Scahill: “Peter Daou has advised major political figures including John Kerry and Hilary Clinton. He was once described by the New York Times as one of the most prominent political bloggers in the nation. He is now supporting senator Bernie Sanders.”

Jeremy Scahill, quoting Daou from a recent Twitter post: “As a staunch Hillary advocate and Bernie critic in 2016, I was privy to the Bernie Oppo book, (meaning opposition research book). I also did my own extensive research.”

Jeremy: Talk about what opposition research you saw against Bernie Sanders and your response to the refrain that Bernie hasn’t been vetted.

Peter Daou: “”Categorically, after seeing a massive amount of research on Bernie Sanders in 2016 — a lot of it confidential, there just is no big treasure trove waiting to drop on him. It’s a lie. The one thing that I’m confident of is that there are gonna be no surprises… and I certainly can’t say that about Joe Biden… Bernie is really the safest bet.”

“Seemingly “safe-bet” centrists have lost to right wingers in the past including Mondale, Dukakis, Al Gore, Kerry and Hillary Clinton. Biden also has more baggage than Hillary with voting for NAFTA, the 94 Crime Bill, The Patriot Act, The Iraq War, The War on Drugs, etc. -Dylan Lancaster

“If you’re really passionate about Biden, that’s one thing, but fearing progressives and rallying around a centrist to be safe is not a strategy grounded in reality.” -Seth Bernard

Here are 5 main points from the following article: Is Bernie Or Biden more electable against Trump? By Micah Daigle

“I noticed that a lot of people are planning to vote for someone who they think is most electable, even if he’s not their first choice.The problem is: if we’re wrong about who’s most electable, we may hand Trump a second term. There’s a lesser-known case for the electability of Bernie Sanders, who we’re told is too radical. The data seems to tell a different story. So, I laid out that story as simply as possible below. Hope it helps.”

Bernie has an agenda that the vast majority of Americans support.

Medicare For All: 70% Government Funded Childcare: 74% Reinstate DACA: 83% Paid Maternity Leave: 84% Raise Minimum Wage: 60% Green New Deal: 58% *See article for more examples

“So, voting for a “centrist” may sound strategic, but the center isn’t where it used to be. The center has moved to where Bernie’s been standing all along. If there’s a risk worth worrying about, it’s in choosing yesterday’s centrist who is out of touch today.”

2. Bernie appeals directly to the swing voters who will decide the election.

There are two types of swing voters: 1. Those who swing from one party to the other between elections. 2. Those who swing from nonvoter to voter between elections. “As our politics has become increasingly polarized, the first group is shrinking. But among that group, Sanders is more competitive than other candidates. Meanwhile, the second group is potentially much, much larger..”

3. Bernie defeats Trump in the polls… even when he’s called a “socialist.”

“Polls show that when put in head-to-head matchups with Trump, Bernie outperforms his Democratic rivals. And he’s also showing the potential to flip red states like Texas to blue. But a lot of people say: “once Bernie starts getting attacked and labeled a socialist, people won’t vote for him.” So one poll tested for that. They told a third of the respondents that “Trump says Sanders is a socialist who supports a government takeover of healthcare and open borders.” The results didn’t budge: Sanders still won 47% to 42%.”

*“In the latest polling average from RealClearPolitics, Bernie beats Trump by the widest margin of all candidates.” -Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary Of Labor, 03/05/20

4. Bernie is the most well-liked & trusted candidate running for President.

“He consistently polls as the most well-liked politician in the US. And out of all 100 Senators, he has the highest approval rating from the people he represents. When compared with other candidates running for President, he also gets the highest favorability rating among likely voters. And perhaps most importantly, he is seen to be more honest than any other candidate.”

5. Bernie has a huge base of volunteers & donors to mobilize against Trump.

“..the number of 18–29 year olds that back Bernie is double that of those who support Biden. Which may be why Biden’s ground game is coming up short. And it’s not just young volunteers: Bernie has built a base of over 1.4 million donors. Campaigns that raise money primarily from wealthy donors end up reaching a ceiling quickly, because rich donors have a limit on donations. Small-dollar donors can keep giving and giving throughout the campaign.”

ADDITIONAL POINTS

“If I need to do the numbers, I can rate what Biden wants as a 30 and what Sanders wants as a 100. I want those things too. Using my numbers, Biden gets a 6.48 (.216×30) rating from me and Sanders a 6.4 (.064×100). These are basically identical. Despite everything, to me, Sanders is as good a bet as Biden, because the upside of a Sanders presidency is so much higher.

So if that’s effectively tied in my head, how did I get to supporting Sanders? There is one area where Sanders so effectively destroys Biden that it can’t be ignored. That is game… Sanders has put together the greatest campaign of all time. It has succeeded far beyond the candidate’s personal shortcomings…Everything about the Sanders campaign is historic. It is a juggernaut. Juggernauts can be stopped, but it’s the kind of juggernaut that I’d take my chances on. “Respecting the game: my endorsement for the 2020 primary” by Mike Selinker

Here is a list of Bernie 2020 presidential campaign endorsements, such as former President Jimmy Carter and the Justice Democrats.

“Civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who ran for president in 1984 and 1988, endorsed Bernie Sanders Sunday... In his statement, Rev. Jackson said that the needs of African Americans are not moderate, and that, “a people far behind cannot catch up choosing the most moderate path.” -Democracy Now! 03/09/20

Elizabeth Warren on Joe Biden

“Nominating a man who says we do not need any fundamental change in this country will not meet this moment. Nominating someone who wants to restore the world before Donald Trump, when the status quo has been leaving more and more people behind for decades, is a big risk for our party and our country,” Warren said in her strongest critique of the former vice president in this race so far.” -Deepa Shivaram, NBC News

The Corona virus, and the urgent need for medicare for all:

“The corona virus doesn’t care how wealthy you are, or what political party you are in. The best way to be sure the person next to you isn’t sick is to make sure healthcare is available for everyone. The best way to achieve that is through Medicare For All.” -Democracy Now!

“This crisis has made clear that we need to guarantee health care as a right, universal paid family leave, and the need to take on the greed of the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries. Sign my petition: tell the Trump administration that any coronavirus vaccine, as well as testing, treatment, and quarantine, must be FREE. -Bernie Sanders, 03/09/20

The importance of the Michigan primary:

The Michigan primary on Tuesday, March 10 is critical to this globally impactful US election. Super Tuesday was about the delegate count — it’s a tight race, but Bernie can win the Democratic nomination if we rally.

“Michigan is the biggest prize of the six states voting on Tuesday, with 125 delegates, followed by the state of Washington (89 delegates), Missouri (68 delegates), Mississippi (36 delegates), Idaho (20 delegates) and North Dakota (14 delegates).” — “Michigan primary is make or break for Bernie Sanders to halt Joe Biden” -Ebony Bowden

“I know these are frightening times and people are looking for something solid to hold on to. What I want to say is: This campaign — #NotMeUs — is that solid thing. Not the mirage of choreographed “unity.” But solid, steady core values of standing up for the underdog against the 1%… Biden’s entire pitch is about “uniting the party.” That’s important but not enough. Not to get elected. And it’s not enough for the times we are living in.

Bernie is trying to do something bigger. He is trying to unite the working people in this country. That’s something we can all hold on to. And reach towards. I trust Michigan to get us back on track.” -Naomi Klein 03/09/20

On Democratic Socialism:

Excerpts from the article, “Here are 6 ways to convert Bernie Sanders Skeptics” by Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary Of Labor:

“FDR was a democratic socialist, just not in name. Democratic socialism, as practiced in Europe, hinges on the same three core principles that used to be practiced in America, before big corporations undermined them — strong safety nets; public investment in healthcare, childcare, and education; and tough regulation of Big Business.”

“If Republicans maintain their majority in the Senate, no Democratic president will be able to get much legislation through Congress, and will have to rely instead on executive orders and regulations. But we have a better chance of flipping the Senate if Bernie’s political revolution continues to surge around America, bringing with it millions of young people and other first-time voters, and keeping them politically engaged.”

125+ Reasons You Should Not Vote For Joe Biden by Weston -David Pagano, 01/28/20

Why Biden’s cognitive decline is relevant instead of ableist:

“That is a grave matter not just because the establishment wing of the Democratic Party wants to put him in charge of the world’s most dangerous nuclear arsenal, a large chunk of the planet’s health, and the welfare of hundreds of millions of people, but also because it directly pertains to whether he can sustain the rigors and spotlight of a General Election against the incumbent President. And multiple incidents over the past couple weeks — from Biden’s forgetting the words of the most iconic and memorized passage of the Declaration of Independence to confusing his wife for his sister to spouting sentences that make no sense — have only intensified those worries.” — Glen Greenwald, The Intercept, 03/09/20

Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! speaking about Joe Biden on 03/09/20:

During a 7 minute address, he appears to struggle to finish his sentence, mistakenly saying he’s seeking re-election: “Because we can not get re-elect.. we cannot win this re-election.. excuse me we can only.. re-elect Donald Trump.. if in fact we get engaged in this circular firing squad..”

For Non-Voters or Disenfranchised Voters:

Speaking about Bernie: “As an abolitionist, Muslim, organizer and Pakistani woman, I am aware that no one running to lead an empire built by enslaved people on stolen land can save us. I do believe though in using every tool we have to choose the conditions under which we fight.” -Mahroh Jahangiri