Ok. So sell me. What does Biden stand for?

[NY06DemSoc]

I'm an undecided voter. I don't believe in electibility, it's not a thing that you can suss out, you just get elected or you don't.

So on the basis of platform and polices being advocated. Tell me why I should vote for Biden in the primaries because all I know is that he was the VP under Obama, which was OK. And that when he was a Senator he voted to make it harder for people who were in bankruptcy to discharge credit card debt.

So what are his selling points?

[beachbumbob]

1. Obviously you need to review 1972 election and the electibility question of McGovern

[DownriverDem]

8. Boy is that true

McGovern won MA and Washington DC.

[beachbumbob]

16. one of the greatest lanslides in history,

thats what happens when "leftist" think america is a leftist country and want drastic change.

[dalton99a]

14. A Down with the Establishment, Death to Capitalism, Socialist Revolutionary Workers' Party

is what America has been yearning for

[Act_of_Reparation]

51. Well, holy shit.

An anecdote.

Checkmate, commies!

[whathehell]

56. Obviously, you need to remember that nearly a half century

has passed since then, and the country has changed.

[left-of-center2012]

2. Biden didn't honeymoon in Russia

[FoxNewsSucks]

11. that is a false and misleading statement

Please look up the truth before spreading rightwing lies

[left-of-center2012]

20. Huh?

My posting
“Biden didn't honeymoon in Russia”
is false and misleading?

[el_bryanto]

25. Hillarious. What a great response - I mean nobody could see through your simple question

Do you think that Sanders honeymooned in Russia?

Bryant

[left-of-center2012]

36. Who's "Bryant" ?

I don't know him.

[W_HAMILTON]

38. He did honeymoon in Russia.

From one of his books:

On May 1988, Jane and I were married. The marriage ceremony was held – where else? – in North Beach, a public park on Burlington’s waterfront. A lot of people attended.

On the next day we began a quiet, romantic honeymoon. We went to Yaroslavl, in the Soviet Union, along with ten other Burlingtonians, to finalize our sister-city relationship with that city.

[el_bryanto]

52. He took a working vacation to Yaroslavi - as they were sister cities

He took an actual honeymoon a year later to St. Lucia.

But I guess it makes a good story.

Bryant

[W_HAMILTON]

54. He and his followers can spin it however they want.

He scheduled his wedding to exactly coincide with the trip and he himself referred to it as his honeymoon.

It is what it is.

[AncientGeezer]

103. "But I guess it makes a good story." Makes a great story..that HE wrote about.

[LanternWaste]

44. Yaroslavl is now in Vermont or Connecticut, eh?

Simple, indeed...

[MrsCoffee]

50. He did duh.

[mcar]

87. Yes, he did

[FoxNewsSucks]

75. It's falsely misleading because

it implies that Sanders planned a traditional romantic honeymoon in Russia. That's simply not true.

I will say, at least you didn't repeat the Limbaugh version that Sanders went at the height of the Cold War. But the simple fact is, at that time Burlington VT sent a contingent to visit their sister city in Russia. Among them was the recently-married Sanders. Sister cities and visits is a common thing. Sanders' comment about it being a "strange honeymoon" were due to the timing of the trip, not that it was intended to be a honeymoon.

Sanders and his wife DID take a normal traditional honeymoon the following year. In St Lucia. St Lucia is not in Russia.

There are enough accurate criticisms of all candidates. Leave this kind of thing to Fox or Limpbaugh.

[left-of-center2012]

95. I mentioned Biden

Not Sanders.

[nolawarlock]

98. Sanders himself used the phrase "romantic honeymoon" ...

But don’t let his own words get in the way of your story.

[PatSeg]

22. What?

Did Biden honeymoon in Russia?

[left-of-center2012]

39. Apparently so

According to one Sanders supporter.

[PatSeg]

49. Wow, I had no idea!

[FoxNewsSucks]

78. See reply #75

above https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=617871


You're welcome

[PatSeg]

107. Gotcha!

[JustAnotherGen]

101. I was confused too

Like - hmm - which wedding? Cool story bro. *smdh*

[jmowreader]

115. Stop. Right now.

Bernie DID honeymoon in the Soviet Union. The official cover story (that he was visiting the USSR as part of his official duties as mayor) really does not wash; why, exactly, would a tiny New England town need its own foreign policy?

[FoxNewsSucks]

116. you're gonna have to try

harder to sell me on that conspiracy theory.

[jmowreader]

117. Okay...

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/442000-sanders-trip-to-soviet-union-comes-under-new-scrutiny

[Vivienne235729]

33. +1

[whathehell]

68. Nether did Bernie..

When he was Mayor of Burlington, Vermont, he went to Russia with 12 government officials as part of a government trip to establish a "Sister Cities" Program.
It was shortly before his marriage to Jane O'Meara and his ACTUAL honeymoon in St.Lucia...He joked that the Russia trip was a "strange
honeymoon" -- Hence the incorrect "re-interpretation"

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/bernie-sanders-honeymoon-russia/

[AGeddy]

3. A return to normal

Overwhelming majority of Americans want to be able to wake up each day without worrying what the President is saying/doing to embarrass us or make things worse for America.


People want a return to no-Drama.


They want a return to having COMPETENT public servants running government agencies. A return to our allies liking and respecting us and working with us on big problems.


They want the "reality TV Presidency" to end.


They don't want an economic revolution, they want progress and tweaks to economic inequality issues.


They want peace of mind.


People are tired of the circus. They don't want full-blown socialistic economic upheaval to replace it though.


Barack Obama would win 60% of the vote and 400 electoral votes if he were able to run in 2020.

*THAT'S* what people want. And Joe Biden is the closest thing to that for many people right now.

[Rorey]

21. Thank you

Joe Biden will be a leader. We need that again.

[Rorey]

47. Sanders is a divider.

And so is Trump.

[smirkymonkey]

79. +1000

[BeyondGeography]

46. This is how we lose

Trump has dumbed everything down. People just want him to go away and they have no patience for addressing the things that helped create him in the first place (hint: it was about more than Comey and misogyny). If Joe wins, far too many Democrats will react by saying, great, glad that TV show is finally over, go back to their lives and watch everything go up in smoke in 2022 like it did in 2010, setting the stage for the next R disaster.

[AGeddy]

40. Your first sentence is false

So far, Biden has 65,000 more votes than Bernie in the primaries so far.

[W_HAMILTON]

41. Sanders has only won two of the contests so far...

...and more people have now voted for Biden than have voted for Sanders.

Get your facts straight, jack!

[W_HAMILTON]

64. Where do you live?

Hopefully not Russia, because those facts are already well known for any American paying attention to our current primaries.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[Celerity]

70. You seem nice. nt

[marble falls]

71. I hope he enjoys his stay!

[GP6971]

76. Short as it may be! n/t

[Celerity]

84. I am tired of BS too. nt

[marble falls]

85. That kinda thing goes over well here. I'd play it off big and make a really big statement!

[dware]

86. I'm tired of the BS also,

I'm also tired of trolls, Bots, Socks, etc.

Welcome to DU, hope you enjoy your stay.

[marble falls]

99. He gone!

[ehrnst]

42. Actually, Biden "came out on top" in SC, and Pete "came out on top" in IA.

You're welcome.

[TwilightZone]

65. You think Sanders won SC?

Might want to do a little research there, new guy.

[Mz Pip]

59. This

I want some calm. I want someone who doesn’t govern by tweet.

I want a President who doesn’t consider anyone who disagrees with him an enemy of the state.

I want a president who doesn’t deal in conspiracy theories.

I don’t need a revolution. The outcomes are unpredictable.

[el_bryanto]

73. Why don't people want an economic revolution - I don't get that

I understand it may not be politically possible, but jesus - real wages and quality of life have gotten consistently worse over the last 50 years, while the wealthy have done better and better.

Bryant

[AGeddy]

77. Some people do. But a majority do NOT.

Because, thanks largely to Obama, the majority are doing ok in this economy.

Yes, large amounts of people are doing poorly - but they don't represent a majority.


And for everyone over 45 years old, we've seen what soviet-style socialism can do to a country and we want no part of it.


The capitalistic economy we have needs tweaked. It does not need to be completely overturned. At least according to a majority.

[OnDoutside]

81. " I understand it may not be politically possible" and that is exactly the problem. People want what

IS politically possible. With a Sanders nominee, apart from the Presidential result, the GOP would keep the Senate, and probably win back the House, because Sanders would be painted as being slightly to the Left of Stalin. You don't think so, I'm not too sure and you can bet all swing voters will be scared of the Red menace. It's not fair, but it's reality.

With Biden, it allows those surburban moms, and independents get behind someone who is normal and won't disgrace them. There's potential to win back the Senate too.

[King4ADay]

96. You're right.

Some of us want to go backward.

Some of us want to move forward.

All of us want to beat Trump.

Big tent.

[ehrnst]

119. Who wants us to go backwards?

[DownriverDem]

4. Many of the same things

we all support - health care, women's rights, environmental issues to name a few.

[2naSalit]

5. He has

general appeal to work with others and learn from mistakes.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden

Too much to parse and paste.

[Faux pas]

6. I've

got nothing for you

[still_one]

7. To continue the Obama Legacy, and undo the damage that Trump has done

[2naSalit]

9. He's ACTUALLY a DEMOCRAT.

Has been all his life.

[Act_of_Reparation]

53. Um.

Interesting position to take, fellow Warren supporter.

[2naSalit]

66. I can root for whomever I like to.

I am advocating a favorable point about VP Biden because I think he'll get the nomination, I hope he does if Warren doesn't have a good showing.

And I don't care if Warren was once a member of the R party, they haven't always been the way they are now. And, she has done quite a bit as a Democrat so I won't hold it against her if she was with a different party in the past, she appears to have made up for it in major ways as opposed to the flippers like bernie and bloomberg who aren't really Democrats but they play one on teevee.

Any problems with that?

[Act_of_Reparation]

88. Yes, anyone can be as irrational as they please.

[2naSalit]

89. I see that from reading your posts. ...nt

[Act_of_Reparation]

90. I'm hurt.

Truly. There might be tears.

[still_one]

10. I suspect heads must be exploding over at JPR right now

[PatSeg]

17. Is that still active?

[woundedkarma]

12. Hard to tell..

He just seems to say "Obama" a lot.

[evertonfc]

13. Experience executive level

and he's not a Democratic Socialist.

[PatSeg]

15. Welcome to DU!

The information is out there. Watch some of his CNN town halls, visit his website, read his books, and check out the posts on DU. If all you know about Joe Biden is he was Obama's VP and his vote for the bankruptcy bill, you need really don't know that much about him and you need to do your homework.

Just his influence in the Obama administration alone is enough to see why he is highly qualified to be president.

[dalton99a]

18. He will not give you a new car.

[Mr.Bill]

19. Biden brings a complete toolbox and journeyman skills

to lead our government. Not a lunatic with a sledgehammer and dynamite like we've had since the last election.

[WhereAmerica]

23. Umm, gun control, fight against climate change, public option, $15k tax credit for home buyers...

$15/hour minimum wage, rule of law, progressive Supreme Court and other judges, more taxes on very rich, voter protection...

should I continue?

[DanTex]

24. He stands for not being Trump. Which is pretty great, all things considered.

I don't agree with Joe on policy too much, but "not Trump" is the top thing I'm looking for in the next president.

[MRDAWG]

27. Biden can get the votes of.................

Blacks==he was Obama's VP. They will not get fired up for Bernie.

Independents==They will not vote for a Socialist
Never Trumper Repubs== ditto

He has not had a heart attack 4 months ago.

[Walleye]

105. Joe has had a great relationship with the African American community

All his life. I hope that doesn’t sound racist.

[JackSabbath]

28. Designated Driver

He'd be the designated driver. Someone who can get the car safely home and into the garage without hitting any dogs or mailboxes. Then we have four years to sober up and regain a little self respect.

[nolabear]

29. For unity and dignity and restoration.

Last night he mentioned—again—that he was in touch with world leaders who want to trust America again, to have us re-enter the global community so we can actually work together, for better or worse.

He’s for expanding Obamacare, using the progress we’ve made to work toward a system that gives actual choice.

Speaking of choice, he’s for reproductive choice in spite of the fact he personally might choose otherwise. Like Americans supposedly believe in.

He’s for choosing Supreme Court justices that aren’t toadies but will actually work for all Americans.

He will undo stupid rollbacks on regulations that keep us safe and protect the planet.

And many, many more.

[Peacetrain]

30. Take a second and read some of the threads

I don't sell stuff..

[Politicub]

31. I think it's a personal choice. What issues are important to you?

What affects your family. And if you have kids, nieces or nephews, what would be benefit them.

Then start doing research. Go to each candidate's website and read their policy proposals. Why are you wanting to be "sold"? This isn't some kind of auction. It's the future of the country. You need to be informed, and not just rely on opinion.

It's a gamble as to who can beat Trump come November. Sanders, Biden, Warren and Bloomberg all say that they can. So that throws the electability factor out of the window. I tend to think that people want a return to normalcy, where there isn't some political outrage each day. But that's me. You may differ.

Do I have my favorites? Yes. Do I like some of the policies from each of the candidates? Again, yes. Are there policies that I do not like, too? Yes and Yes.

IMHO, I am going to vote blue no matter who. I am not in a Super Tuesday state so my vote won't matter as much as earlier votes that have been cast.

[Happy Hoosier]

34. OKay...

In no particular order:
1) Rebuild American government institutions based on expertise.
2) Rebuild American international leadership
3) Engage in international multilateralism (with Climate Change as a focus)
4) Build on the ACA towards universal healthcare
5) Restore a sane tax structure
6) Re-engage with Iran to prevent them from developing a nuclear weapon
7) Act as a fair broker in the Israel/Palestinian conflict
8) Press fro gun safety reform
9) Comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship for Dreamers and others.

[MyNameGoesHere]

37. Hahahaha hahahaha

Lot you don't know I see. I missed the sarcasm emoji I guess.

[NRaleighLiberal]

43. a cheer?

B. Blue (his politics)
I Intelligent
D Democratic (see B)
E Empathetic
N NOW, as in his time to win this thing.

not the easiest letters to play with!

[Celerity]

74. Who are the corporates?

[spicysista]

48. I believe Joe will do more to...

...Bring other down ballot democrats across the finish line than other remaining candidates. If you are unsure about that, simply take stock on the number of newly elected house democrats whom have already had to distance themselves from others in the race. I believe he is anathema to the cult of personality candidates, whom all seem to have much shorter coat tails (ie. Our Revolution type candidates lack of success in 2018).

For Joe, it's about continuing the work started and rebuilding that which has been destroyed by dolt45. Joe is a reminder that the majority of us want to do all the good we can. We don't have to demolish in order to build. So, I would say Joe stands for decency.

Joe stands for regaining our footing and respect on the world's stage. He has a history of working with our international neighbors on the many challenges we all face. So, I would say he also stands for world leadership.

Joe has battled and survived personal health scares. He has also lost some whom he cared about from a horrendous disease. He was also there for the inception of the ACA. So, I'd say Joe also stands for making our healthcare better.

Joe has sustained personal loss. He has buried a wife and children. Yet despite these heart breaking experiences, he continues to want to serve our nation. Therefore I'd say, Joe stands for both empathy and perseverance.

[jberryhill]

55. Any camera not positioned to aim at seated height

[jmg257]

57. OK - I'll get right on that!...

Kidding - you should do your own research!

[thesquanderer]

58. Depends who you compare him to.

Selling points over Sanders/Warren: Stability, measured change.

Selling points over Bloomberg: Experience (in government), relationships (with people in Congress, with foreign leaders)

[Lulu KC]

62. How I decided

I was jumping around all the time! I think I've had five favorites. Finally--

Basics that I am concerned about:
Climate change
reproductive rights
healthcare expansion

Proven skills:
leadership--keeping the big picture
building a strong team--good management
knowing what he doesn't know and consulting with experts
remaining calm in chaos
humility--admits it when he's wrong
continuing to grow from lessons

Only flaw--gaffes. Has always made them. Personally, I find it humanly lovable. But it's falsely being attributed to age.

Other flaw: "old white guy"
Yes, I get it. But there are some whose wisdom and skills I'd like to use while they're still with us.

He will bring others who are not old, white, or guys with him. Plenty of them. Watch him!

Go, Joe! We need you now!

[octoberlib]

63. For a lot of people it comes down to down ballot races. Especially here in NC,

where we're trying to re-take the General Assembly, re-elect a Dem Governor and capture a Senate seat. In purple states the GOP propaganda is unrelenting and too many people it. And Dems/the left are historically shit at messaging. Emotion always wins out over logic with these people.

[Ace Rothstein]

69. The status quo that brought us Donald Trump.

Without change we'll see another Trump-like candidate rise to the presidency in 4-12 years.

[Hav]

92. The mythical status quo again...absolute nonsense

One group is filling this thread and forum with the same old buzzwords and they don't realize how empty those buzzwords are.
If by status quo you mean actual Dems who prefer not to burn the country to the ground, that status quo didn't give us Trump, it fought him while the "woke" revolutionists sulked and either stayed home or voted for one of the Putin puppets.

And concerning the danger of another Trump like candidate, the Dems consolidated around one actual Dem also in order to prevent one divisive candidate who is close to Trump in his tactics and empty promises. One who behaves similarly towards the press and one who creates scapegoats and imagined enemies.

[honest.abe]

72. The polar opposite of Trump.

Experience, intelligence, credibility, integrity, decency, someone who cares about people more than himself. Biden will fight for long-held liberal Democratic values and will restore respect to the WH.

That is more than good enough for me.

[ismnotwasm]

80. I just did a simple google.

Found out a bunch of stuff. Easy.

[dualboy24]

91. No answers yet...

Not seeing any actual policy answers. Can anyone give a concise bullet point list of what his policies are? Specifically on Health, Education and Environment?

Healthcare:
What are Bidens ideas to get costs down, and coverage up?
- How is he going to reign in healthcare? Currently its at $3.6 trillion a year, over 10 years it will cost $48 trillion with increasing cost estimates. Sanders plan is to offer coverage to all, cutting out many fees and increasing services to everyone (36T 10 year cost)

Education:
What plans are there to address the out of control education costs? And lack of education performance for K to 12? What would take a part time summer job to cover tuition does not cut it these days.

Environment:
Climate change is the largest threat to humanity, at the current rate the world will not be a very friendly place for future generations, and it will take thousands of years (assuming we start to act), to undo the damage done. Drastic action is needed, so what are the plans and ideas to combat this?

[Hav]

94. If you are honest in your interest,

all you have to do is google his name and find his campaign website. Done in 5 seconds. Then you can take a look at the issues and judge for yourself.
Many topics are too complex to just list them as one bullet point.
But as one example on his site, he addresses health care, how to increase coverage, seeing it as a right for all and he addresses some ways to tackle cost issues.

[dualboy24]

114. The original poster asked...

So on the basis of platform and polices being advocated. Tell me why I should vote for Biden in the primaries...

Yet there are not many answers are being posted, go through . I was hoping to see some people list points outlining the policies they like, or what motivate them to vote for Biden, but nothing...

So far the posts are:
- ~50 years ago McGovern lost... which is great since he is not running today.
- Bernie honeymooned in Russia (false, it was a sister city event between mayors of Burlington, and Yaroslavl)
- A return to normal (so no points there)
- Not Trump (which is very true).

[NY06DemSoc]

93. OP here. I wish this thread had gone better

I got a lot of the usual non-platform based replies.

He's a Democrat.
He's going to put things back the way they were.
He will restore honor and dignity.
He'll get black votes because he has a black friend (President Obama.)
He's not evil Bernie (honeymoon or not a dem or whatever)
Downballot dems will benefit.

Maybe I was hoping too much. I kind of figured there was something more specific and less generic or anti someone else. Maybe DU isn't the place for that sort of thing at this point.

Like if I'm going out into PA to canvas for the Democratic candidate. What am I going to tell these people that Biden is for? The people who decided not to vote for Hillary because she was offering more of the same and took a chance on Trump instead. I can't agree with their decision but what am I going to tell them is better about Joe?

While I know I'll vote blue no matter who, it's the rest of the electorate that I wonder about. What is it about Biden that is going to sell people on pulling the lever for him in November?

The bits of specifics I did see. Ones that aren't necessarily common to all the other candidates (return to rule of law, voter protection, non-corrupt scandal laden Trumpery, fix all the stuff Trump has broken.)

15K tax credit on new home purchases.
$15 minimum wage
Gun control legislation
Expanding Obmacare

The ones I have doubts about:

Better supreme court justices: He gave us Clarence Thomas and brutalized Anita Hill in the hearing. Sure that was a long time ago, but Clarence and Ginny Thomas are still causing havoc today. Maybe he's learned to trust women when they say they've been victimized by powerful men. I'm just not clear that he has.

Ok, carry-on with your abuse of my post.

[nolawarlock]

100. I think it's cute that you claim "undecided" when you have DemSoc in your name. N/t

[NY06DemSoc]

104. I favor Warren but I like Bernie too. I have to allow the possibility that neither will be available

by the time I get to vote as a NYer.

The story of my life as a New Yorker. Huge chunk of the electorate and we barely get to voice our preference. <shrug>

[nolawarlock]

109. Mine isn't until April 4th so I feel you.

… by the time it gets around to Louisiana, which will almost certainly be red anyway, I don't get much of a voice.

As for your OP, I have many reasons I like Biden, though I have many reasons I like every candidate but Bernie and I even like a little bit about him as well.

But my main reason for picking Biden after Buttigieg wasn't an option is that he gave me my marriage. Yeah, it was by sticking his foot in Obama's mouth and speaking out of turn but I don't care. Joe had a huge amount to do with that pivotal shift regardless of how the Bros want to paint his 1996 DOMA vote. I applaud Bernie for always having a pro gay marriage position but Joe actually got something done.

Referencing that same event and many others, I also like that Joe doesn't always stick to the script. His occasional wildcard behavior will make it difficult for folks to always know what to expect.

He wasn't my first choice and I'd be happy with Warren for other reasons, but I think he will bring the kids of respect back to the office that Obama gave it (and Trump, Bush and, sadly, Clinton didn't). I've had so many negative experiences with Bernie supporters on social media, many, many of whom are clearly not bots (as if it's that hard to tell the difference! LOL). Heck, people on my Facebook accused David Sirota, Briahna Joy Gray, and Nina Turner of being bots. Seriously. While I think the Magas versus the Bros might make for an entertaining election, I think the overall impact to the discourse will be even worse than what we have now because we'll be playing right into Trump's lowering of the bar.

[ismnotwasm]

102. His platform form is available to all

What are you trying to do with your OP? You can just look it up.

[NY06DemSoc]

106. I want to hear a platform based pitch from his true believers.

Because that's what I'll have to sell to other people and I don't know what it is.

[Hav]

113. That isn't a very persuading argument. It sounds a bit lazy and disingenuous

I think you've rather encountered a reluctance of others to do your homework for you than a reluctance to discuss the issues once you've educated yourself about his positions and formed your own opinion.

You shouldn't rely on getting it spoonfed to you and you don't want to be in a position to persuade others with info that you haven't verified for yourself.

[LAS14]

108. An opportunity not to lose the house and to get the senate so the rest of...

.... the party can enact bold change. The president can't do much without congress.

[scardycat]

110. You are going to know what you get with him

There are going to be some things you are not going to like about Joe Biden's stances but he he doesnt sugar coat.
Like Medicare for All that BS and EW want...that is an impossible goal with Republicans in the Senate that wont even vote on preventing Russia from interfering in our election. And even if we do win the Senate back, we have Dems in Blue states that wont vote for (socialized medicine) But there is a very good chance we will be able to build on Obamacare and thats a good beginning that might take us to Medicare for All in the future.

[MineralMan]

111. Go here:

https://joebiden.com/

Read the site. You'll find your answers there, directly from the candidate's team.

If I tried to tell you all that stuff, it would take me hours. It's already written and ready for you to read. You can skip the fundraising pages and read for yourself.

[robbedvoter]

112. In short: Democratic party.

All I need right now.

[Yavin4]

118. A return to humany decency.

Americans want Trump gone. They don't like what they see. Trump has never been above 50%.