Did the rank-and-file Democrats vote for Joe Biden or did they vote against Bernie Sanders? My guess, and it is only that, is they voted largely against Bernie Sanders for mixed reasons.
Fear is a great motivator in elections and I believe the Democrat rank-and-file voted out of fear of what Bernie would produce in the election and what he might even do to the country if he somehow got elected. Of course, there must've been some general belief that Biden was more likely to beat Trump, or more probably, a belief that Sanders was less likely to beat Trump.
I believe there was fear that Bernie would crash the economy, of fear entertained by a sliver of Democrats, probably of older generations, who looked at his spending agenda and recognized a potential national disaster. This generational cohort probably also feared for the down ballot wipeout if Bernie headed the ticket.
I say this because a Bernie Sanders election will be a nationalized election about his revolution, his Marxism, his profligacy. Such a nationalized election will really hurt down ballot Democrat candidates.
Sober Democrats probably understand that Biden is personally and extremely weak candidate, not fit for the job, if not a dead man walking at least a walking gaffe on the hoof, but one who will lose gracefully and one who will not destroy the party in doing so.
As to which one I would like to see as a Democrat candidate, I prefer sleepy Joe who will defeat himself. Bernie will stand up against Trump better in a debate, he makes few gaffes, he has a rabid base who will turn out his vote, but who will stay home when they are deprived the nomination.
Bernie's great liability, of course, is his radicalism which Trump can probably credibly portray as a threat to the nation. Bernie's platform undeniably appeals to a stratum of our society but Trump does not argue issues, he personalizes his opponents Alinsky-style.
Trump will have and has had no difficulty whatsoever personalizing and destroying senile Joe Biden. Apart from hard-core Democrats who would vote for Satan before Trump, Biden has no charisma and no enthusiastic base. His whole campaign will be sabotaged or at least stumbling to election day unsupported by Bernie's rabid base.
The downside of a Biden presidency is less risky than the downside of a Sanders presidency. Trump should win either way.
