“The game is rigged… But nobody seems to notice, nobody seems to care.” — George Carlin
The dictionary on my computer defines a blitzkrieg as “an intense military campaign intended to bring about a swift victory.” Just a couple of months ago, we witnessed a political blitzkrieg, the likes of which I’ve never before seen, heard or read about in my many years of being a political junkie.
The sports metaphor for what happened in just three days in the Democratic Party Presidential Primary Feb. 29 and March 1 and 2 were like the Detroit Lions jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but suddenly the wheels coming off and eventually losing 59-21.
So let’s go back to Saturday, Feb. 22, when Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders took a commanding lead in number of delegates with a convincing victory in the Nevada primary. I was visiting my old fishing buddy in Muskegon when his sister called to announce the news.
For the next week, virtually all of the talking heads on TV and pundits on cable news agreed Sanders was the undisputed leader in the primary race for the Democratic presidential nomination. There were polls showing Sanders opening up a double-digit lead over all other candidates and he even had moved into first place in the polls in Texas.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden was floundering, under achieving by a wide margin. He finished a distant second in Nevada, but was no higher than fourth in New Hampshire and Iowa. Coming up later that week was the South Carolina primary on Saturday, Feb. 29, which virtually everyone predicted would be won by Biden.
That Saturday evening, Biden indeed did win convincingly, as expected. But something extraordinary happened, a brief and electric series of events that changed everything quickly.
Immediately after the primary results were tabulated, billionaire candidate Tom Steyer announced he was dropping out and throwing his support to Biden. That in itself wasn’t all that surprising because Steyer had failed to catch on.
But the following day, media favorite Pete Buttigieg announced he was suspending his campaign, even though he had raised a lot of money and finished a close second to Sanders in New Hampshire and Iowa. He didn’t do well in South Carolina, but had been very competitive in the first two primaries.
Less than 24 hours after that, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar announced she no longer was a candidate, only one day ahead of the Super Tuesday primary March 3, which included her home state, where she was favored in the polls to win. And billionaire Michal Bloomberg dropped out.
All who suspended their campaigns coalesced around Biden.
The results of Super Tuesday clearly turned the Democratic primary on a dime, it set the political world on its head. Biden, who had scored his first primary win only three days before, really cleaned up, winning Virginia, Massachussetts, Texas and a whole slew of southern states, Bernie won only in Vermont, Colorado and California.
Then Senator Elizabeth Warren called it quits. It very suddenly was a whole new ballgame, with only Bernie and Biden left standing.
The following Tuesday Biden’s streak continued by beating Bernie in Michigan, the state where Sanders put his name on the political map four years earlier by upsetting Hillary.
Prompted by those three days in February and March, the dominoes fell one, two, three and the political fortunes of that upstart Democratic Socialist sank like a stone. By mid-March the game was virtually over.
I couldn’t figure out how and why Democratic voters could turn on their front-runner so fast and so convincingly. This startling political development since then hasn’t drawn a lot of notice because of the tremendous impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
It all left me as bewildered in a cerebral desert, seeking explanations, but getting none that have been satisfactory. I suppose there are some who will say Bernie got in trouble for praising Fidel Castro’s educational system in Cuba. Or maybe his criticism of sexism from Warren hurt him. Or maybe it was true when Hillary Clinton declared, “Nobody likes Bernie.”
None of those suggestions could possibly turn around a primary election so abruptly and so completely.
One independent political observer, however, did have a suggestion that just might be the answer. Krystal Ball said there is only one person who has the kind of power to achieve such a phenomenal feat — Barack Obama.
“Pay attention… and connect the dots.” — Me
Great time line, the Democrats take more donations from the corner of Wall and Broad Streets than Republicans, the “down ticket” establishment Democrats are not going to upset those with deep pockets. The party hierarchy gets paid from donations/membership dues, Senator Sanders would upset the establishment and the two party system in favor of an all powerful socialist government. Remember Senator Sanders and the Posse are not Democratic party apparatchiks. The Party had to slap Senator Sanders down to hold on to it’s power and maintain control of the current system so profitable for them. The fix was in.
It is better to be a Kingmaker than a King. Richard Neville
Army Bob, right on the money!
Besides, Americans as a majority still do not want Socialism, so between one dolt with a bad ticker or a mental midget with a failing memory, the party is betting on Biden. No enthusiasm, but Mr. Barry Soetero endorsed old Joe, so that means nothing – just as his presidency and administration was non-existent for 8 years.
A Trump landslide upcoming in November? What choice is there? Crooked, brain dead Joe, or someone who gets things done for America? Can Joe even say “Hope and Change” let alone remember it?
AB & DTOM,
It is really starting to get embarrassing for senile Joe. Poor guy can hardly put a sentence together. The party is noticeably limiting his time in front of the camera. I don’t believe Joe has a chance of winning on his best day, however under his current condition, well you get the picture. You guys seem to have a pretty good pulse for current events……..Do you ever get the feeling someone else is going to emerge as a new candidate for the liberal party? Just a thought…….
Cheers!!