Posted on 03/30/2020 7:56:57 AM PDT by Conserv
How nervous are some Democrats about Joe Biden's chances against President Trump this November? Nervous enough to entertain the notion that another Democrat, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, might swoop in and save the day.
Cuomo, who has been governor for nearly a decade and has one of the most famous names in Democratic politics, found new prominence when his state became the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis in the United States. In February and March, some New York officials urged the public to maintain regular activities even as the virus took hold in the state, leading to the worst outbreak in the country. Now, with New York in crisis, the governor holds daily briefings that some politicos see as an effective counterpoint to Trump's White House updates.
It did not take long for the hashtag #PresidentCuomo to appear on Twitter. And from there came the dream that perhaps Cuomo might somehow become the Democratic standard-bearer.
"I see Cuomo as the Democratic nominee this year," entertainer Bill Maher said recently. "If we could switch Biden out for him, that's the winner."
But how? Among the states and territories, the Democratic Party will hold 57 primaries and caucuses this year. Thirty of them have already been held, after a campaign that began in the spring of 2019.
So far, 10,118,114 people have voted for Biden, while 7,665,794 have voted for second-place Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, now out of the race, picked up 2,466,729 votes for third place.
At this point, does someone — Party elders? The chairman of the Democratic National Committee? — tell the 10,118,114 people who voted for Biden: "Never mind. Governor Cuomo will be your candidate now." Or does someone tell the 7,665,794 who voted for Sanders: "Sorry, Biden won't be the candidate, but neither will the second-place finisher."
Remember the big deal some Democratic leaders and commentators made of the fact that the party's African American voters had chosen Biden? Would that be thrown out, too?
Yes, there are some big states among the 27 that have not yet voted, among them Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York. (Cuomo recently announced that his state's primary, previously scheduled for April 28, will now take place June 23.) But Biden already has 1,215 of the 1,991 delegates required to clinch the Democratic nomination. Sanders has 909. There aren't enough delegates up for grabs in remaining primaries for a new candidate to win.
Plus, apart from a write-in campaign, to allow Democrats in those states to vote for Cuomo would take throwing out all the party's rules — the rules Biden, Sanders, and the rest played by. And, of course, voters in the majority of states and territories that have already voted would never have the chance to consider Cuomo. Finally, even if all the rules were magically changed, the idea of Cuomo abandoning his current job at this critical time to run for president is nuts.
So the only way any Democrat could seriously hope for Cuomo as their presidential nominee would be a convention in which delegates threw out Biden, and Sanders, and started from scratch. And that would obliterate the fundamental principle of the candidate selection process: The nominee should be selected by the party's voters. It is simple, straightforward, and sacred.
More than anything else, the Cuomo boomlet is a reflection of some influential Democrats' misgivings about Biden. They have always known that, at age 77, he has lost a step. Now, they are seeing him struggle to project any sense of leadership in the crisis. They know the rank-and-file Democrats chose Biden in the primary field, but not necessarily with any great enthusiasm.
In a new Washington Post-ABC poll, 86% of the people who say they plan to vote for Trump say they are enthusiastic about doing so. Just 74% of Biden supporters say the same thing. The poll also found that 15% of those Democrats who currently prefer Sanders would vote for Trump, not Biden, in the general election.
"They're a fractured party," one Trump campaign official said in a text exchange Sunday. "Cuomo coming in as the 'savior' would be viewed with hostility by the Bernie people. Double slap in the face."
Cuomo, who won a third term as governor in 2018, had his chance to run for president. He chose not to. He has a style and personality — largely unseen in the virus coverage — that can be difficult, to say the least. Last year, his job approval rating among New Yorkers fell into the 30s. There is no guarantee or even indication that he would wear well on American voters.
In a recent New York Times interview, Cuomo said he is not interested in running for president. "No. I know presidential politics," he told the paper. "I'm at peace with who I am and what I'm doing."
Perhaps Cuomo, who is 62, will reconsider and choose to run in 2024. But for now, as long as Biden remains able to run, Democrats seem to be on an unalterable path to nominating him.
Some are doing so with extraordinarily low expectations. Recently, the Atlantic published an article headlined "Stay Alive, Joe Biden" that argued, "Democrats need little from the front-runner beyond his corporeal presence." But in any event, Biden is their man, no matter how much they might wish for a savior named Andrew Cuomo.
Any other speculation is PURE FANTASY.
What are demonicRATS nervous about? Even Faux News Polls show Gropin’ Joe with something like a 6,000 point lead over Dr. Trump.
What if Biden drops out on his own for health reasons and recommends a brokered convention.
There’s a reason Bernie’s hanging around.
Fantasy is a specialty of the left.
It might be fantasy. I believe if the rat base was convinced that Andy has a much better shot at beating Trump they would be fine with throwing out their own rules and tossing Joe into a nursing home. Beating Trump is everything and adhering to rules and process are for the suckers on the right.
Too many unpredictable factors in that scenario. A cleaner approach for the DNC is to let Biden continue to act as a block to Sanders and let Biden secure the nomination and name their true choice as VP. Then a few weeks later Biden steps down for health reasons and their choice takes the mantle.
The DNC does not want Sanders or Clinton and if the nomination is thrown open at the convention, their control is minimized. Biden can serve as their stalking horse because everyone knows that Biden can be bought and select their choice. Easier to convince one corrupt politician than groups that could become mobs.
Can't understand why your line wasn't part of the article even if the author didn't agree.
There were reports in 2016 when Sanders overnight turned from energetic campaigner to withdrawing for Hillary to win at the lasts campaign, that he looked ashen faced and concerned. Maybe a visit the night before from Hillary's special friends?
Biden could have a quick change of his addled, shattered mind and say he likes his retirement after all and is quitting.
Won’t happen in 2020. Cuomo has his own crisis to deal w/ and cannot hit the campaign trail summer 2020. He will look like he abandoned them. Not running against Trump and voters like to switch parties every 8 years, gives him a better shot in 2024. You don’t want to run in 2024 labelled as a loser in 2020.
Trump will be tough to beat in Nov. Virus will be over, numbers will be good, and economy will be at least half way recovered by then too
The Democratic Party is so screwed (which is fine with me)
Remember at the beginning of all of this when the media was convinced that any of the dem candidates could beat Trump? I guess that was not based on anything real, like most of the news reports coming from the same people.
DeBlasio. It's HIS fault.
Because while New York State and Florida has nearly the same size populations, N.Y. states spends nearly 3 times as much through taxes as does the Sunshine state.
That is pretty much my take too. I think they think Andy looks real good for 24 and they wouldn’t want a failed campaign stain on him. Now if Trump somehow really stumbles bad and looks real vulnerable it could change. That does leave them with Joe. MSM is propping him up and publishing some ridiculous polls. He has become a punch line. So does the DNC really believe he has a shoe or are they willing to just sacrifice Joe? The Virus has allowed Joe to do controlled limited releases and maybe keep the car on the road until the convention. They were really hoping Trump would screw this up bad which he has not but no problem we’ll just say he did.
Joe is the sacrificial candidate. He is there to keep the party together from the Bernie Bros.
Biden has an advantage right now, like Hillary, his polls #s go up when you don’t see him. The virus has kicked him to the curb, made him invisible, and actual hurts him less than going out on the trail saying something stupid
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