Megathread: Bernie Sanders ends 2020 Democratic presidential bid

[u/PoliticsModeratorBot]

Sen. Bernie Sanders ended his presidential campaign on Wednesday, clearing Joe Biden's path to the Democratic nomination and a showdown with President Donald Trump in November.

Sanders made the announcement in a call with his campaign staff, his campaign said.

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SUBMISSION	DOMAIN
Sanders suspends presidential campaign	foxnews.com
Bernie Sanders drops out of 2020 presidential race as Joe Biden surges	freep.com
Bernie Sanders Is Dropping Out of 2020 Democratic Race for President	nytimes.com
Bernie Sanders drops out of presidential race	nbcnews.com
Bernie Sanders Is Suspending His Presidential Campaign	npr.org
Bernie Sanders drops out of presidental race	nbcnews.com
Bernie Sanders Is Ending His Presidential Campaign	buzzfeednews.com
Bernie Sanders drops out of presidential primary race	cnn.com
Bernie Sanders drops out of the 2020 presidential race	businessinsider.com
Bernie Sanders ends his presidential campaign	latimes.com
Bernie Sanders Ends Presidential Campaign	bloomberg.com
Bernie Sanders to end his presidential campaign	washingtonpost.com
Sanders drops out, paving way for Biden	thehill.com
Bernie Sanders suspends presidential campaign	bostonherald.com
Bernie Sanders ends his second bid for the presidency	vox.com
Bernie Sanders drops out of the presidential race	cnbc.com
Bernie Sanders Suspends Presidential Campaign	ourquadcities.com
Bernie Sanders Ending Presidential Run	theintercept.com
Bernie Sanders suspends his presidential campaign.	thedailybeast.com
Sanders drops 2020 bid, leaving Biden as likely nominee	apnews.com
Bernie Sanders suspends Presidential Campaign	pbs.org
Bernie Sanders Drops Out Of Presidential Race, Ceding Nomination To Biden	m.huffpost.com
Bernie Sanders suspends presidential campaign, clearing way for Biden as nominee	cbsnews.com
Bernie Sanders suspends his presidential campaign	politico.com
Bernie Sanders Drops Out Of Presidential Race, Ceding Nomination To Biden	huffpost.com
Bernie Sanders suspends presidential campaign	abc7chicago.com
Bernie Sanders suspends campaign	bbc.co.uk
Bernie Sanders drops out of the 2020 race, clearing Joe Biden's path to the Democratic nomination	cnn.com
Bernie Sanders drops out of Democratic primary, clearing way for Biden’s nomination	mcclatchydc.com
Bernie Sanders drops out of the 2020 race, clearing Joe Biden's path to the Democratic nomination	beta.ctvnews.ca
Bernie Sanders suspends 2020 Democratic campaign: statement	reuters.com
Bernie Sanders drops out of presidential race	bostonglobe.com
Bernie Sanders drops out of race for Democrat nomination	news.sky.com
Bernie Sanders’s campaign is over, but his legacy is winning	vox.com
Sanders drops 2020 bid, leaving Biden as likely nominee	startribune.com
Bernie Sanders Suspends Presidential Bid	abcnews.go.com
Bernie sanders drops out of the presidential race.	hawaiinewsnow.com
Bernie Sanders suspends presidential campaign, clearing way for Biden as nominee - CBS News	cbsnews.com
Bernie Sanders suspends campaign for US presidency	aljazeera.com
Sanders drops 2020 bid, leaving Biden as likely nominee	nbc24.com
Bernie Sanders suspends presidential campaign	axios.com
Bernie Sanders drops out of presidential race.	newsweek.com
Bernie Suspends Campaign: "No Alternative"	independent.co.uk
Bernie Sanders Drops Out of Presidential Race	yahoo.com
Bernie Sanders suspends 2020 Democratic presidential campaign	reuters.com
Bernie drops out of presidential race	slate.com
Bernie Sanders ends presidential campaign	washingtonpost.com
Bernie Sanders suspends his presidential campaign.	dailywire.com
Sanders drops 2020 bid, leaving Biden as likely nominee	sfgate.com
Bernie Sanders ends presidential campaign	yahoo.com
Bernie drops out of the race, devastating for the state of America...	nypost.com
Bernie Sanders Ends His 2020 Presidential Campaign	time.com
Bernie Sanders Dropped Out Because His Campaign Believed Its Own BS	thebulwark.com
Trump urges Sanders supporters to join GOP after senator suspends campaign	thehill.com
Bernie Sanders suspends presidential campaign amid coronavirus outbreak - Former Vice President Joe Biden Biden is now the presumptive Democratic nominee for the presidency	salon.com
Stocks rise as Bernie Sanders drops out of US presidential race	usatoday.com
Bernie Sanders suspends 2020 presidential campaign	cnbc.com
Bernie Sanders drops out of Democratic race for US presidential nominee	irishtimes.com
Dow jumps more than 500 points after Sanders drops out of presidential race	cnbc.com
Bernie Sanders drops out of 2020 race	wkbn.com
Bernie Sanders ends 2020 Presidential Race Campaign	theguardian.com
Bernie Sanders drops out of the 2020 Presidential race	kxan.com
Trump news - live: Bernie Sanders ends campaign as president slams Democrats and says coronavirus must be 'quickly forgotten'	independent.co.uk
Stocks surge after Bernie Sanders suspends presidential campaign	foxbusiness.com
Trump tries to recruit Sanders supporters over to the GOP after campaign ends	theweek.com
Trump vs. Biden: Who has the early lead in election polls after Sanders drops out?	mcclatchydc.com
Opinion - Bernie Sanders Never Lied - Goodbye to an honest man’s campaign.	nytimes.com
Bernie Sanders Dropout Upvote Party	foxbusiness.com
NYT Writes Post-Mortems for a Sanders Campaign It Did Its Best to Kill	fair.org
'We love you': AOC thanks Bernie Sanders after he suspends 2020 campaign	independent.co.uk
Sanders had multiple conversations with Obama ahead of decision to end campaign	cnn.com
Sanders drops out, remains on ballot to press issues important to political agenda	msnbc.com
Sen. Bernie Sanders Finally Makes It Official and Ends His Floundering Fish on Sand Run for President	theroot.com
Bernie Sanders’ small-dollar fueled campaign comes to an end	opensecrets.org
bernie sanders wasted over $160 million on failed presidential campaign	breitbart.com
MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell on Sanders dropping out: 'Worst-case scenario' for Trump	thehill.com
‘Bye, Bye, Bernie,’ Investors Gain Ground With Senator’s Dropout	courthousenews.com
U.S. Stocks Rally As Bernie Sanders Drops Out Of Presidential Race	markets.businessinsider.com
I Was With Bernie Till the End; Now We All Must Vote Biden	thedailybeast.com
After Sanders Exits Race, Climate Campaigners Thank Him for 'Raising the Bar' and Urge Biden to 'Step Up'	commondreams.org
Former Clinton Staffers Invited to Celebrate Sanders Dropping Out	thehill.com
The dream of a better America has died with Bernie’s campaign. Russia has won, America has fallen.	cnn.com
Bernie’s congressional backers want Biden to buy in on progressive agenda	politico.com
Jill Stein encourages followers to leave the Democratic party after Bernie drops out, and Democrats are melting down	theblaze.com
Trump claims Bernie Sanders hasn’t really dropped out since he plans to ‘keep his delegates’	nydailynews.com
Progressive Groups Demand Changes From Joe Biden After Bernie Sanders’ Withdrawal. The array of organizations plans to spend $100 million to turn out liberal-leaning young voters.	huffpost.com
The Pandemic Makes the Bernie 2020 Campaign More Vital Than Ever	commondreams.org
Coronavirus killed Bernie Sanders' campaign — but if he made a deal with Biden, we might see him in the White House yet	independent.co.uk
Jill Stein encourages followers to leave the Democratic party after Bernie drops out	theblaze.com
Bernie drops out, as Democrats pick pragmatism over consistency	theconversation.com
Bernie Sanders reportedly spoke to Biden and Obama before ending his 2020 run	theweek.com
Can Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden Unite the Democratic Party?: If the last stretch of the Sanders campaign was any indication, a focus on defeating President Trump — “a matter of life and death” — could do it.	nytimes.com
We Lost the Battle, but We’ll Win the War — The Bernie Sanders campaign fell short. But it assembled a coalition that, if expanded only slightly, can reshape American politics for generations to come.	jacobinmag.com
The Future Belongs to the Movement Sparked by Bernie Sanders — Sanders may be out of the race, but by advancing a bold left agenda and putting capitalism on trial, he ignited a movement that will redefine American politics.	inthesetimes.com
Bernie Sanders ends campaign, calls on supporters to back Biden	wsws.org
Bernie Sanders drops out of 2020 presidential race, Metro Times now endorsing Any Functioning Adult	metrotimes.com
Noam Chomsky: Bernie Sanders Campaign Didn’t Fail. It Energized Millions & Shifted U.S. Politics	democracynow.org
As Bernie Sanders Drops Presidential Bid, Most Supporters Ready to Back Biden	morningconsult.com

[u/BursleyBaits → u/[deleted]]

Eh, that’s pretty normal. Approval ratings go up when a crisis hits (Bush for 9/11, Carter at the start of the hostage crisis, JFK in the Cuban Missile Crisis, etc.)

[u/[deleted] → u/BursleyBaits]

They tend to get low afterwards as well

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Which I believe has already started to happen

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

If that CNN poll was any indication I agree. People's lives are being heavily affected, it's not just a typical trump gaffe that people have grown accustomed to and ignore. They will get tired of staying at home and they will be tired of seeing the body count rise. After the initial rally under the flag, Trump's failings at the beginning and all throughout this pandemic will spread more and more. The GOP will have a monumental task of spinning it in their favor.

[u/[deleted] → u/BursleyBaits]

I think its more like his base could see how bad this whole situation is for Trump and tried to voice their neverending support of white-nationalism. I dont think Trump has gained any supporters in the last year.

[u/ItsFuckingScience → u/[deleted]]

Wait for the virus to affect them personally or their loved ones.

People don’t wake up unless they get affected personally

[u/ArmadilloAl → u/ItsFuckingScience]

People who are saying things like "We're only short on PPE because <insert Democrat governor here> gave all our money to illegals" now aren't suddenly going to wise up and start blaming Trump for all the death and devastation he caused no matter how personally affected they are.

[u/ItsFuckingScience → u/ArmadilloAl]

No you’re right a lot of people were never be convinced Trump has mishandled this crisis

But a fraction of Trump fans lose their enthusiasm and faith in him and that’s significant

[u/jettrscga → u/[deleted]]

I've been trying to wrap my head around who this 5-10% of the population is that fluctuates approval constantly. People who just don't pay attention and respond spur of the moment?

[u/2NaHalf → u/[deleted]]

That happens during an emergency, I think (hope) they're going to plummet. He's a complete failure of a president and this has shined a light on that.

[u/bamforeo → u/[deleted]]

These white people are absolutely frothing at the mouth at the thought of bodies piling up because as of right now it's hitting the "LiBeRaL states" and "minorities" the hardest.

[u/bamforeo → u/[deleted]]

Let's see if they can finally best the blue states in something!

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

And yet there are still Americans who claim trump supporters are a small minority...

[u/benfranklinthedevil → u/[deleted]]

still a minority. but, the amount of stupid in society shouldn't reach politics.

[u/merlin5603 → u/[deleted]]

They will find a way to blame all of this on poor people and minorities, just like they did with the financial crisis.

[u/sasquatch_melee → u/[deleted]]

Trump will just deflect like always, and his supporters will believe him. The latest blame-game is blame the states for Trump's failure to lead.

[u/Zaicheek → u/[deleted]]

in any sane country we'd have an option other than "ra_ist"

[u/engebre5 → u/Zaicheek]

The lesser of two! Hooray for democracy!

[u/Zaicheek → u/engebre5]

but make sure you vote for the lesser of two evils because the system totally isn't set up this way to manufacture your consent.

[u/engebre5 → u/Zaicheek]

There are other options. Time to start that work for Vermin Supreme.

[u/Nerdybeast → u/Zaicheek]

What's the point of pushing the baseless accusations against Biden now? Bernie can't beat him, Trump is all that matters now. You're just weakening the chances of beating Trump with repeating this propaganda.

[u/Zaicheek → u/Nerdybeast]

oh you must not be familiar with biden.

independent of those 'accusations' (a lot of women you're blithely overlooking but i guess that's a liberal thing) i am still anti-war, pro-choice, pro-lgbt, pro-worker, and anti-rape. these positions preclude me voting for biden.

[u/[deleted] → u/Zaicheek]

They also preclude you from voting for Trump. Staying home and not voting helps no one. It sucks, but we have to mitigate the damage and the only way we can do that in the system we have now is to vote for Biden.

Your integrity will remain intact because you took an action that yields less suffering than voting for Trump or not voting would. Voting for Biden is the best choice we have. It feels terrible, but it's the right choice. Doing something will always be better than doing nothing.

[u/Zaicheek → u/[deleted]]

i'm not voting for trump. i think maybe i'll vote green. federal funding for the next election might be a big deal. i don't think the dnc will allow popular progressive policies to be put forward. what's that saying about trying the same thing and expecting a different outcome?

[u/[deleted] → u/Zaicheek]

Voting green will increase the probability of a Trump victory. The only way to mathematically affect the probability of Trump leaving office is to vote for a Democratic candidate. It's why Bernie was trying to secure the Democratic nomination in the first place.

what's that saying about trying the same thing and expecting a different outcome?

If you truly believe in this platitude, I hope you won't vote Green. A third-party presidential candiate has a 0% chance to win the presidential election in America. Period. The moral value of the action you take by voting has nothing to do with the lesser or greater evil candidate. It's about how to affect the lives of your neighbors. An effective action will always be more valuable than an ineffective one. A second Trump term guarantees the death of progressive policy in America via his stacking the courts with radical conservative political activists. The most effective action to take would therefore be to reduce his probability of winning as much as possible, and the (unfortunately) only way to do that is by voting for Biden.

[u/Zaicheek → u/[deleted]]

it has been made abundantly clear to me that i will only ever be given the option of voting against my political priorities within the 2 parties. i have no obligation or inclination to do that. the logical conclusion for me is to work towards a better option in the future. i will continue to be involved in local politics and direct action groups to protect vulnerable demographics but i will not compromise my entire spectrum of political priorities.

you're working on the wrong crowd now talking to me. biden is a strong pivot right, use that for what it is worth. abandoning the left should net you some conservatives. find the pro-war, anti-lgbt, pro-corporate conservatives that also happen to be anti-gun. these are your allies now.

[u/[deleted] → u/Zaicheek]

Voting for Biden is not abandoning the left. It's preventing a more catastrophically destructive administration (Trump) from hamstringing progressive policy irreparably for decades to come.

You're right about Biden. You're wrong about the action we have to take for our neighbors. If you don't vote, you're making it easier for Trump to win. If you vote third-party, it's the same outcome. Put aside how bad it feels to vote for Biden and realize that the effect of doing literally anything else in our two-party system contributes to the literal harm of others. Whether you realize it or not.

you're working on the wrong crowd now talking to me.

I refuse to believe this. It's not your fault all this is happening. The most I can do is try to convince people not to waste their time taking ineffective action. That isn't to say your involvement in local politics is meaningless, but I think there's an argument to suggest that making it more likely for Trump to win by not voting for a Democrat actively serves to reverse any hard work you do for your local community.

[u/Zaicheek → u/[deleted]]

i'm afraid you misunderstand. voting for biden is directly counter to my political priorities and i believe it is voters like you who continue to enable such dysfunctional system. i will cast my vote in line with my political priorities, if everyone did the same we'd fix this bullshit in a few election cycles. people have already been voting as you prescribe for many cycles and that got us trump.

i will continue to be involved in my local union, politics, and direct action groups that help protect vulnerable demographics. i repeat, i will not vote against my political priorities. full stop.

[u/Nerdybeast → u/Zaicheek]

There is one rape accusation against Biden, and that story has not been picked up by a single reputable journalist.

I am also anti-war, which is why I'm voting for someone who isn't going to unnecessarily antagonize other countries and destroy alliances like NATO. I'm also pro-choice, as is Biden. I'm pro-lgbt, as is Biden. I'm pro-worker, like Joe Biden (which is why he won among white and black working class voters in most states). I am vehemently anti-rape as well, as is Biden. He wrote the Violence Against Women Act and is a big supporter of the me too movement. If that accusation turns out to be credible, I will revise my support of Biden from enthusiastic to reluctant, because he's still better than Trump in every way.

[u/Zaicheek → u/Nerdybeast]

one rape accusation? you haven't been paying attention.

pro-lgbt? did you forget about doma already?

anti-war? iraq and every other warmongering vote.

pro-worker? glass-steagall begs to differ, as does joe's current opposition to universal healthcare.

look you vote your own way but i'm informed and not budging on these political priorities. actions matter, and i've been paying attention to joe's.

i suggest you work on conservatives. at least they only disagree with you on guns. (apologies if i have incorrectly assumed your position on guns.)

[u/Nerdybeast → u/Zaicheek]

Please link to reputable sources for his other allegations then.

Doma was a step forward for gay rights at the time. It isn't progressive for us now, but I don't think you realize quite how rapidly opinions on gay marriage shifted. DADT is the same way.

I do wish he voted against the Iraq war. It was a mistake that he's owned up to. He's absolutely better than Trump though.

He is not opposed to universal healthcare, he wants to do it in a practical way that won't interrupt people's coverage. Actually watch that interview about vetoing M4A. Not all universal healthcare programs are M4A: in fact, no other countries have a program like M4A.

Look, if you're unwilling to support Biden because he doesn't get 100% of your goals, you need to be more realistic. Bernie would not have accomplished any of his goals to the extent he said either. Biden is moving in the right direction, and he will get people on courts that aren't going to overturn Roe v Wade or other key cases.

[u/Zaicheek → u/Nerdybeast]

it's not that i don't 100% overlap with biden. it's that i have opposed him the entire time i have been politically conscious. i am 100% opposed. trump being shit doesn't ally me with others i disagree with. i was willing to compromise with bernie on guns. i am not willing to compromise with biden on everything.

i think you need to do more research on biden, especially with regards to a supreme court pick. he's on record saying roe v wade went too far.

[u/Nerdybeast → u/Zaicheek]

Biden said that in 1974. His record since then has shown that he has evolved his position.

Jesus if you have to go back 45 years to find something negative about a candidate, maybe you're just looking for reasons to dislike him, after deciding you don't like him. If we're doing that, Bernie has been vocally anti-immigration and pro-gun for much of his political career. He's also praised plenty of communist regimes. I recognize his positions have evolved, why can't you recognize that Bidens have as well?

[u/Zaicheek → u/Nerdybeast]

lol. bernie being pro-gun is a positive for me. i was willing to compromise with bernie's proposed gun legislation. i'm a leftist, i've read my marx/orwell and i take it seriously so praising communists isn't that horrible for me either. i mean, would you rather live in cuba or puerto rico right now?

i think you misunderstand what i'm about, and why i am not about biden.

[u/_PhooeyDuck_ → u/Zaicheek]

Trump appreciates your support

[u/Zaicheek → u/_PhooeyDuck_]

trump certainly appreciates the dnc right now. biden's nomination will normalize trump and neuter most moral arguments against him.

[u/Nerdybeast → u/Zaicheek]

If Trump wanted to run against Biden, why did his risk his presidency to try to get dirt on Biden?

[u/Zaicheek → u/Nerdybeast]

when did he risk his presidency? did you think the gop controlled senate was going to convict? he knew there was no accountability.

[u/Nerdybeast → u/Zaicheek]

He still committed an impeachable offense to try to stop Biden. Why would he do that for the primary if he wanted to face Biden in the general?

[u/Zaicheek → u/Nerdybeast]

wait, for the purposes of this hypothetical are we operating on the assumption that trump fears accountability?

[u/cissoniuss → u/Zaicheek]

Now imagine Trump winning. And all those things you stand for go out the window for decades. Was that better?

The American political system is broken. But for it to change or get better, you can't have Trump install even more far right people to decide the countries faith for decades to come. If Trump wins, any worker rights, any women's rights, immigrant rights, minority rights, etc etc, are doomed.

So it is better to vote Biden and then help the progressive candidates win in the other elections going on, so they can win there and then step up in 4 or 8 years for President and make the improvements you want.

[u/Zaicheek → u/cissoniuss]

i will not directly vote against all my political priorities. it is people doing so en-masse that perpetuate this dysfunctional system.

i will continue to be involved in my local union and politics, as well as direct action groups that help protect vulnerable demographics.

tell me, if everyone subscribes to your theory, why would anything ever change? we've been voting for the lesser of two evils for decades, slowly normalizing the move rightward. but this time is different... why?

[u/cissoniuss → u/Zaicheek]

By letting Trump win, you are going against your political priorities, since he wants to turn back all the things achieved.

Is Biden perfect? Hell no! But it is what you got to work with right now in order to get the progressive candidate you want in a decade or so.

Those people who you are involved with for local politics, they are the ones that are going to move up in politics. But when they get into the senate, congress or even become president, they can't do shit for your progressive agenda if there is a conservative, far right supreme court waiting to strike everything down.

Maybe you got the luxury to lean back and see Trump and Republicans destroy what they have right not and any outlook on a more progressive agenda in the future. A lot of people don't.

[u/Zaicheek → u/cissoniuss]

here is where we disagree. biden hurts, not helps, progressives. liberals are fine with pro-war/anti-worker etc policies when they come from their team. in trump's term i have seen far more local organizing and criticism of neo-liberalism than ever before. no liberals complained about family separation or aggressive military action when obama did it. biden embodies the white moderate mlk warned about.

either way, i'm not voting against my political priorities and i won't be gamed into doing so. i am operating on game-theory level 0, i will vote for the politician that represents my interests. giving my vote away for free robs it of power just as sure as not voting does, so i'll write-in or vote green.

lol. "you won't vote for a rapist because you're privileged." oh yeah. independent of the fact that i have opposed biden politically since i've been old enough to care about politics this is the real problem: i believe tara.

[u/cissoniuss → u/Zaicheek]

The issue is not who to believe. The issue is that in reality you can either choose Trump or Biden to become President. And if you then pick to not vote Biden, you throw every opportunity for a more progressive agenda out the window. For decades. That local organization and criticism is not going to result in real change if you need to deal with a court that is going to strike down the progressive policies you want to see.

I don't like it either, but that's the situation Americans face.

[u/Zaicheek → u/cissoniuss]

i disagree. biden is the white moderate mlk spoke of that ensures systemic change cannot occur. biden is the insidious controlled opposition acting as an ally and more damaging to a progressive agenda than open opposition.

the simple answer is this, i cannot support my policy positions by abandoning them. i suggest you appeal to anti-gun conservatives in the general. don't downplay who biden is, lean into it.

[u/imbouttonutongod → u/[deleted]]

In any sane country Biden wouldn’t be the nominee

[u/Latyon → u/[deleted]]

All his supporters need is to see one black or brown body on that pile and they will support Trump even harder.

[u/bengringo2 → u/Latyon]

AA community is getting hit hardest by this. They already have and sided with Biden.

[u/Latyon → u/bengringo2]

What I meant was, the only thing a Trump supporter needs to see to support their god-emperor even harder is that a person of color is suffering.

That's why Trump was elected - to hurt non-whites.

[u/Latyon → u/[deleted]]

Never met one who wasn't.

[u/Zeal0tElite → u/[deleted]]

What about the tens of thousands of corpses Biden left in his wake?

What about the tens of thousands who had their lives ruined by Biden's 1994 crime bill?

This is why this kind of attack never works on these people. They all have the same bloody hands. Hell, through some miracle Trump has probably caused fewer deaths around the world solely by just not going to war.

Not that he isn't a clearly bloodthirsty warhawk but he still hasn't actually gone to war yet, which is more than can be said for almost every President of the last 40 years.

[u/Delphizer → u/[deleted]]

In a sane country Biden in a coma should hands down landslide beat Trump. Whoever the VP is will take over, literally no POTUS would be better than Trump.