Feeling lukewarm about Biden? Here's what made me decide.

[thesquanderer]

I wanted Warren in 2016, and when she didn't run, I switched to Sanders. I wanted Warren in 2020, and when she dropped out, I switched to Biden. I thought that posting about why might help some other people on the fence feel better about supporting Biden.

1. I think Biden will be stronger against Trump in November.

This is one of the main reasons I supported Sanders last time... polls showed he was strongest against Trump. This time, that honor falls to Biden. Not by as much, but the advantage is there, both overall and in key swing states. Also, unlike Sanders, Biden will welcome (and therefore presumably take best advantage of) Bloomberg's support, and those resources will be of additional help in beating Trump. And while neither Joe nor Bernie are debate powerhouses (and I have doubts that Trump will debate anyone anyway), if there is to be a debate, I think Joe will be stronger than Bernie. I think he comes across as more well versed on a wider variety of issues, and has a more statesman like demeanor.

2. Oval office experience.

The Obama administration tried to hand Trump a well-oiled machine, but according to reports, the Trump people basically ignored the attempts their predecessors made to get them up to speed, and in fact, many long time (multi-administration) knowledgable people were let go. I do not expect the Trump administration to be of much help to the next incoming administration, nor will the new president be inheriting as many highly capable people, as Trump seems to have made a hobby out of appointing department heads whose goals are largely at odds with those departments. So a new Dem president next January is going to largely be on his own in creating a working administration from scratch, and he'll have to do it quickly. I think Biden's experience in the Obama WH makes him better equipped to do this.

3. Biden's policies have been moving in the right (left) direction.

As Joe said in the last debate, he and Bernie agree about most goals, even if differing in how to get there. And one of Bernie's counters has been that Joe is relatively new to supporting some of the ideas, that he doesn't have as consistent a long term record of being for these things... but really, the fact that you wanted free public college or higher minimum wage or whatever some number of years sooner has no value beyond brownie points. If the next president believes in Elizabeth Warren's bankruptcy reform plan (as Joe has endorsed), in the end, it really makes absolutely no difference whether he's only believed in it for a few months or if he's believed in it for 15 years, the end result will be exactly the same. If these are the policies he runs on and wins on, I am confident that these are the policies he will try to enact. Would I rather Biden had a stronger history on the death penalty, the Iraq war, abortion, etc.? Sure... but we're not electing him to implement his ideas of 20, 30, or 40 years ago. His platform today is perfectly acceptable, and I believe that if that's the Biden we elect, that's the Biden we will get.

4. Biden has the stronger foreign policy credentials.

After Trump has turned our foreign relations topsy turvy, righting that ship will be yet another major priority for the next president, and I think Biden has the experience and relationships to do this most quickly and most smoothly.

No, Biden is not perfect. But perfect isn't on the menu. There's a lot I like about Bernie Sanders, but in the end, I think Biden is our stronger candidate.

[TwilightZone]

1. "But perfect isn't on the menu"

Perfect is never on the menu. Some just choose to ignore the things they disagree with in their preferred candidates or overlook things that wouldn't pass muster if they were part of the opponent's platform or history.

No one ever gets everything they want. The choice is then whether we want 70% or 80% or 90% of what we want or do we want 0%? Somewhat amazingly, some still choose 0% by various methods.

[Cha]

2. Well said.. TY, TZ

[FailureToCommunicate]

3. Agree. Biden may seem like a bowl of unsweetened corn flakes, but the other choice...

Trump, is a bowl of broken glass shards and scorpions, and blood.

Tough choice?

Not really.

[thesquanderer]

4. No doubt Joe OR Bernie would be better than Trump. The decision that required more thought...

was whether to pick Joe or Bernie. And I know, this board has a lot of strong Joe advocates and a lot of strong Bernie advocates, and maybe it's hard for some people to consider that it's actually not an easy decision for everyone!

[FailureToCommunicate]

5. True, but all your arguments were directed at the candidate running against Trump

Hence my analogy.

[Tweedy]

6. A bowl of uncut Irish oatmeal

With a handful of fresh picked wild blueberries.

In other words, a Biden presidency will be healthy for our country.

Right this moment, just the thought is reassuring. It reduces anxiety, while producing a welcome calmness.

Say President Joe Biden a few times aloud and see if you cannot experience for yourself exactly what I mean.

[FailureToCommunicate]

8. I feel better already. Thanks.

[blue-wave]

12. It works. My anxiety level drops.

It hasn't done that since tRump was elected.

[tinrobot]

7. Similar for me. Warren supporter. Lukewarm about Biden until the debate.

He really knocked it out of the park. I'm convinced he'll be a good president.

He's also palatable enough to the moderates/independents to get a strong turnout in November.

[Demobrat]

9. I got to vote for my first choice in the primary.

She dropped out. Now it doesn't really matter how I feel about the Dem candidate. All that matters is getting Trump out.

[Rowdyag]

10. 5. Biden will have a competent Veep

[thesquanderer]

16. I think that either Biden or Sanders would have a competent VP,

so to me, that was not a differentiating factor.

[flibbitygiblets]

11. I was reasonably happy about Biden until his address to the nation a few days ago

as someone put it "there he was, presidenting in front of my president-starved face". His compassion, leadership and honesty made me almost cry. I'm all in for Joe. He's what our country needs right now.

[frazzled]

13. I've come more and more to believe

that Biden is precisely what we need right now. He wasn’t my first choice in the beginning, maybe 4th or so. But lately, and especially during this crisis, I’ve come to see how his deep knowledge about how things work across many sectors of the government, together with his kind and empathetic demeanor, is very welcome in this climate.

You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.

[thesquanderer]

19. Possibly the best Stones line ever. (n/t)

[3catwoman3]

14. "I do not expect the Trump administration to be of much help."

They are so incompetent they couldn’t help even if they wanted to. Trump has been so intent on dismantling anything and everything accomplished by President Obama that the Biden administration will pretty much have to start over.

[wackadoo wabbit]

15. The thing Biden has going for him heading into the general, more than anything else . . .

is that he'll be the "Not-Trump."

Given Trump's major F-up with COVID-19, that may be enough.

[thesquanderer]

17. Yes, the one and only bright side of COVID-19...

...is that it weakens Trump politically, including his ability to run on a strong economy. That would benefit us regardless of who our nominee was.

[Bettie]

18. At this point, I'd vote for a potato

so, I truly do not care which of the old white dudes is the nominee. I'll vote for him.

[ibegurpard]

20. Nope

I feel fine about him. And will probably vote for him in my primary in June.