Joe Biden is going for the knockout blow against Bernie Sanders
Joe Biden is looking strong in Michigan. The vote in Michigan is so important that several outlets predict that if Biden wins, Sanders is done. Sanders won the Michigan primary against Hillary Clinton in 2016; however, that will be much more difficult this time.
The biggest question mark in Michigan surrounds the unions. Some union members like the sound of “Medicare for all,” but the Detroit Pipefitters aren’t happy about Sanders’ plan to close the crude oil pipeline running beneath part of the Great Lakes. Reuters also reported that two Michigan chapters of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union have endorsed Biden.
In 2016, Sanders dominated the suburbs outside of Detroit, and he crushed Clinton in the rural areas. In the states Biden has so far won, he dominated the very areas carried by Sanders. According to Reuters, Biden “smashed” Sanders 43% to 19% in the rural areas of Minnesota, and he won handily in suburbs outside of Charlotte and Houston.
Add in Biden’s complete domination with Black voters, and you have the results of Super Tuesday. Can he sustain his Joementum, as the press has come to call it? He certainly seems to be getting stronger every day, and if he is successful in Michigan, it is likely over for Sanders. Sensing this, Sanders abruptly cancelled his trip to Mississippi in favor of Michigan, where Biden will be joined by his latest endorsement, Kamala Harris, leading to one of the more interesting aspects of this campaign.
Many of Biden’s former rivals now support him, and not just in word. Reuters reported that Amy Klobuchar is on the ground in Michigan, campaigning on Biden’s behalf while, as mentioned earlier, Harris will accompany him to Michigan. Biden has also secured several endorsements from Florida elected officials. Kionne McGhee, House Minority Leader, was backing Bloomberg but switched his support to Biden. The Florida primary is scheduled for March 17, though Politico reports that more than one million people in the state have already voted. Meanwhile, Sanders’ supporters are still singing the tired old tune that the DNC won’t let Bernie win. “They will do anything to stop him,” claimed a 71-year-old retiree from Detroit. It’s hard to really respond to that.
While many, especially Sanders supporters, see Joe Biden as “the same old same old,” the Atlantic published a piece outlining Biden’s agenda, which includes an income boost for poor Americans through an increase in the minimum wage and an increase in Social Security benefits. Biden also proposes healthcare subsidies and stronger union rights. According to the Atlantic, Biden is even interested in the U.S. becoming more like other democracies that make it possible for everyone to compete in their societies, which includes economic equality for all. In fact, the Atlantic states that Biden’s policies are “significantly bolder” than those of President Obama.
It would be nice to hear the candidates’ platforms without all the bashing, something that Joe Biden refused to do early on in his campaign (and which his staff believed hurt him), but he’s swinging now. He appears to be a good man, and is certainly a good man for the job of president.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years