How fast things can change. The Democrat debate stage was once filled with wild-eyed leftists like Booker, Harris, O’Rourke, Sanders, Warren, and Yang. If Amy Klobuchar spoke of moderation, she was silenced by a chorus of revolutionaries. Now that Liz Warren is out, Bernie Sanders is the last far-left alternative. I applaud Congressman Jim Clyburn (D-SC) for tapping the brakes on the runaway Sanders Train.
Biden’s big win in South Carolina so discouraged Buttigieg and Klobuchar, they dropped out before Super Tuesday and helped Biden over-perform across America. By doing so, they denied Sanders an insurmountable lead. I might be a Republican, but I am an American first. In my mind, only a centrist Democrat was an acceptable alternative to President Trump. I did not want a radical left-winger anywhere near the Oval Office.
I rejoiced when Democrats rejected the identity politics of Cory Booker and Kamala Harris. And, while I reject his policies, I do believe Sanders truly cares about the working poor – regardless of race, creed or color. And, in spite of worries over his mental state, Joe “lunch bucket” Biden never jumped on the reparations bandwagon.
I cheered when Democrats yawned at the back-to-the-future campaigns of Beto O’Rourke and Andrew Yang. America doesn’t need a Big Brother state that repeals 1st and 2nd amendment rights or provides universal guaranteed income. Beto looked mean attacking gun-owners and church-goers. Andrew Yang was just Silicon Valley weird. Trump might be un-presidential, but he’s not advancing revolutionary ideas.
The high-water mark of the week was the end of Liz Warren’s campaign, which could not even win her home state (Massachusetts). Even if she throws in behind the socialist Sanders, it’s a good thing to have just one mad-liberal heading into Milwaukee. Mind you, it was just over a week ago when mainstream Democrats James Carville and Chris Matthews were all gloom and doom.
I think Jim Clyburn saved the Democrat Party from implosion. He ran to Biden’s side when others were running away, delivering South Carolina, and launching the landslide of support for the former VP. I think Buttigieg and Klobuchar showed common sense and party loyalty by suspending their campaigns and supporting Biden – as did Bloomberg, who could fund the entire Democrat presidential campaign.
If Biden beats Trump, Republicans will be sad on Election Night, but they should not be disheartened. Biden represents legal abortions and stronger EPA – not the Green New Deal. And, if the gaffe-prone Biden bungles the economy and immigration reform, Republicans will sweep the 2022 mid-terms and run a winner like Nikki Haley in 2024. In my mind, that’s routine politics. What the far-left offered in 2020 was something ruinous.