I went to bed last night before the Minnesota vote was in.

[MineralMan]

I'm old, now, and don't stay up all night watching election results. I assumed that Sanders would win in MN, with Biden a not too close second place. My surprise this morning was enormous, and then I heard that Biden had also won Massachusetts and Texas. Boom!

I knew that Joe would do well yesterday, but the reality is that he exceeded every expectation I had.

Today or tomorrow, both Elizabeth Warren and Mike Bloomberg will end their campaigns. Each of them has only about 12% of the popular vote, and it's clear that they're not going to do any better.

In a two-person race, Biden will win handily, I'm sure, based on what happened yesterday. I fully expect him to go to the convention with a majority of pledged delegates, and that will be that.

Biden 2020!

[bluedye33139]

1. He really out-performed expectations.

I prefer Warren, but at this point Biden is my second choice. And I have no real problems with Joe Biden as a person or as a president.

[Demsrule86]

13. I didn't support Warren at first...but as the primary progressed...I came to admire her and like

her. She became my second choice. And I truly wish she had won her home state. She is a great person and Senator.

[iluvtennis]

39. + agree. nt

[Cha]

2. Early Bird! Bet you were so happy!

[MineralMan]

3. Oh, yes, indeed.

Maine and Massachusetts! I never would have thought that possible. Biden even picked up a couple of delegates in Vermont!

[squirecam]

5. Any and Pete voters

Got him those wins.

[MineralMan]

10. Yes. That has been the unspoken factor

all along. Nobody was paying much attention to the candidates who weren't doing so well. Most of them appealed mostly to moderate voters. In my mind, I was adding their votes to the Biden numbers. I knew they'd have to drop out at some point. That they did it just before Super Tuesday was brilliant.

And, just as I have been saying for a couple of weeks now, Bernie Sanders has come into firm contact with his ceiling. That ceiling has always been there, but was masked by the large field of candidates.

[Sogo]

47. Totally agree with your points.

I, too, was adding up the progressive vs. moderate vote in each contest and feeling very frustrated.

I think all the pundits were freaking out because until Amy and Pete dropped out, they saw Bernie rolling into the convention on 30% of the vote.....

[Cha]

11. Cool about Vermont.. and Biden Won Texas and Maine!

[getagrip_already]

12. I'm in MA, and I'm shocked....

I was the only person in a house of 5 that voted for joe. Two voted for warren, and 2 for bernie. Several people I talked with really like bloomberg.

I never thought joe would do this well here. I'm in happy shock.

[MineralMan]

17. Yes. In a way, MA was the most shocking of the shocking results.

I can't imaging how Warren must feel this morning. There is no recovery from that, I'm afraid.

There were shocks everywhere last night, though. Plus, California's vote count is still far from being finished. I expect to see Biden's percentages continue to rise in that state, as well.

I won't speculate on how Bernie Sanders is feeling this morning. He knows his ceiling today. In a two-person race, that ceiling is almost certain to hold at 30% or lower.

[zeusdogmom]

32. I feel kind of bad for Senator Warren

It must feel so demoralizing, and yes I know politics is win some, loose some, but loosing so badly even in your home state after working so hard must just s***

Warren isn't my #1 choice, but I think she would be an awesome president.

I don't have that same warm, empathetic feeling for Sanders. Have never warmed up to his cranky old man shtick. I would just like him to go away and for awhile not yell at me. Sorry Bernie supporters. Bernie has some good ideas and we as a party need to address the issues he has raised, but he is not th candidate we need in 2020

[Frances]

48. I like Bernie's ideas too

But I’m tired of being yelled out

[Demsrule86]

14. I stayed up until two ...waiting for Texas...Miss potty mouth here had to edit some of her posts...I

was shocked...never expected this.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Klobuchar's endorsement did the trick for Minnesota, I think.

Most of her supporters who didn't vote early would probably have voted for Biden after her excellent endorsement. I stayed up for it and was pleasantly shocked at the news (it wasn't all that late, actually - only about 9:30).

[MineralMan]

19. I'm an early to bed sort of guy these days.

It's a habit I developed as a high school kid who ran a 5-8 AM milk route. Then, I was in the military, which doesn't let you sleep late. Finally, I married a very early riser almost 30 years ago. I was snoring at 9:30.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

21. OMG, I'm the opposite. I can't even function before 9:00 am.

I'm still drinking my coffee and booting up my brain. If I'm in bed before midnight I'm probably sick. The best part of my sleep cycle is that I can stay up to watch election returns without dozing off.

[joost5]

46. That describes me. I voted early for Amy K, would've voted Warren if she had more traction, now Joe

because we need the Senate to flip, and to keep the House.

[Laelth]

6. I suspect you are right, in essence.

I don't see why Bloomberg would drop out at this point, but, otherwise, I agree with you.

Yesterday, a lot of Democrats went to the polls and said, "We ain't votin' for no Soshulist!"

I heard them loud and clear. Honestly, I am in a bit of shock at how fervently and definitely this message was delivered ... but it was.



-Laelth

[MineralMan]

15. Bloomberg will withdraw either today or tomorrow.

He is a pragmatic man. He's not going to push ahead with just 12% of the popular vote. That would be silly, so he will pull out and shift his support to Biden. How much he'll spend on that remains to be seen.

Same thing with Elizabeth Warren. With just 12% of the vote and after coming in third in her own state, she will not continue. Who will she endorse? Nobody, I predict. She will just fade out of the picture. Her supporters will divide themselves up as they see fit. Many, though, will drift into the Biden camp, I think. Attacks on her from the Sanders supporters have been vicious and obscene.

[Laelth]

28. Man, I need a new crystal ball.

Mine is obviously faulty.

I stand obviously and quickly corrected.



-Laelth

[MineralMan]

29. LOL!

I just throw them out there. The ones that connect with something are good predictions. The ones that don't are soon forgotten.

[getagrip_already]

16. I don't think it was an explicit rejection of socialism....

Dem's like socialist policies. They may not like the label so much, but the essence is well accepted.

This was a rejection of a person, not a label. He attacks the democratic party, and by proxy, everyone in it. I don't like to be attacked. I don't like him on a lot of levels, but that is just arrogant.

[Laelth]

25. I think it was the rejection of a label.

Bernie embraced the label. The voters rejected Bernie because they don't like the label.

I understand that well-informed people like you and me see Bernie's refusal to be a "team player" as a weakness. It's what I dislike most about him and why I voted for Hillary in the 2016 primary (not to mention the fact that she was, probably, the most qualified person to ever run for President of the United States), but I think your average Democratic voter is just turned off by the "socialist" label. I don't think they're savvy enough to understand that it's Bernie's belligerence that makes him so difficult to work with. The average Democratic voter IS savvy enough, however, to know that their state "ain't votin' for no Sochulist," and they want to win. Thus, I think, they voted for Joe--the safe choice.

I'm OK with it. Joe could end up being a great, liberal President. I am just shocked at how resoundingly our voters stood up for Joe yesterday.



-Laelth

[Mr.Bill]

42. As a low income Senior,

I am good with some socialism. I just don't think Sanders is the guy who can deliver it. Biden is not exactly anti-socialism. I think he can and will protect and even enhance my Social Security and Medicare as well as anybody, probably better than most. And he will do it without blowing up the Democratic Party.

[Thekaspervote]

43. Agree..I saw a lot of twitter posts that said they were all about sanders ideas, but not sanders

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

22. He just did.

[MineralMan]

26. Thanks for the heads up!

[vademocrat]

27. It wasn't about "not votin' for no Soshulist" for this VA Democrat -

I voted for Bernie & donated $$ in the 2016 primary but he lost me this election cycle. Didn’t even consider supporting him this time. It’s him not his ideas.
Yesterday I voted for Elizabeth Warren - but she didn’t “take” my vote from Sanders. Biden was my 2nd choice.

[Laelth]

49. I hear you.

You're on DU, and that probably means that you're an educated, well-informed voter. Most Democrats around here, TX, are quite opposed to the idea that a socialist might be at the top of our ticket. My Latino democratic friends, on the other hand, don't seem to be bothered so much by the word, "socialist."

For what that's worth.



Allow me to add that I would have been thrilled to have Elizabeth as our standard-bearer.

-Laelth

[getagrip_already]

7. bernies opportunity was certainly in a crowded field....

He had something like 40% of the vote in 2016, so a LOT of people had already voted for him once. If he kept just a large portion of that in a wide field he would win.

Not so much one on one. He will lose just like he did to hillary.

It was a great night. I might have had too much to drink and I might have stayed up way too late, but after the last election and the time since, I needed that.

Democrats chose a democrat. There is no bernie blocking. There is no nefarious conspiracy. The democratic party voters are choosing a democratic party leader. Big shocker there.

[lark]

8. Biden 2020 indeed!

OMG, the cloak of sanity is just waiting to blanket this nation with the complete rejection of fascism, white nationalism, hate and greed personified in Hair Furor.

[luvtheGWN]

37. A view from the north

(for what it's worth). Just like Canadians, Europeans, Aussies etc., I believe Americans are desperate to return to the sanity and safety of the Obama/Biden years. They also feel confident that with Biden as President, calm and good sense will return, and folks can again be able to go to sleep at night knowing that their country will remain a democracy in the best sense of the word.

Yes, my fingers are crossed too.

[Tarheel_Dem]

9. Fingers crossed. n/t

[philf99]

18. It's a one man race

With the caveat things could change.

Last was the best opportunity for Sanders to put a big delegate gap between himself and Biden and that didn’t materialize. I don’t see a realistic way Sanders closes the gap given the map.

If Sanders loses Michigan and gets destroyed in the St. Patrick day states, I think the talk will be Biden is the presumptive nominee on March 18

[PatSeg]

20. Yesterday was beyond

any expectations I could imagine. I'm still having a hard time believing it is real.

Guess there are an awful lot of "establishment" voters out there. Who knew!

[obamanut2012]

23. Nah, I bet Warren stays in another month or so

She stated last night she isn't dropping any time soon. That will help Biden imo.

[liberalmuse]

31. I hope so.

I voted my conscience rather than more strategically. I don't hate Bernie, but I truly feel Biden will get many more people out to the polls this November. Look what we saw last night. All Democrats won last night, IMHO because our numbers drastically increased this time around. Sadly, the younger people did not come out to vote, and now we're going to hear how they were screwed by the Democratic establishment. The people who came out to vote last night voted for a better future, regardless of who they cast their ballot for. When we vote, we win!

[Turin_C3PO]

24. Yes, it'll be Biden who wins the nomination.

I think you’re right about Bloomberg dropping out but I’m not so sure about Warren. I wouldn’t be surprised if she stayed in until the end. Unless her funding completely dries up, of course.

[liberalmuse]

30. I voted for Warren in my primary.

That doesn't end until the 10th. Now I'm hoping Warren throws her delegates to Biden. My co-worker was smart to wait until after Super Tuesday to cast her ballot. She will vote for Biden, and he was not even her 1st, 2nd or 3rd choice.

[Wounded Bear]

33. I suspect Warren will hang around another week...

just a feeling, no real evidence.

[MineralMan]

34. I doubt it. Rip the Bandaid off.

[samnsara]

35. i did the same thing!!!

[MrsMatt]

36. I believe that going from a caucus system to primary voting was a huge factor. n/t

[MineralMan]

40. Yes. It absolutely was.

I was a precinct chair and caucus convener in my precinct in St. Paul, MN in 2016. It was totally unrepresentative of the voters in my precinct. That was my last caucus.

[oldtime dfl_er]

38. It's great the way people here on DU

have started to come together around Joe. It's happened quickly and mostly amicably. I was originally a Kamala Harris supporter, but when she dropped out I switched to Joe. I'm a happy girl today.

[MineralMan]

41. I hope that continues from now until the general election.

The voters are speaking loud and clear.

[relayerbob]

44. 100% agree on all points

[KPN]

45. Congrats to Biden and his supporters. Yesterday

certainly was a surprise, including for Sanders/Warren supporters like myself I imagine.

Go Blue!