When the Democratic primary began in earnest, the party chairman, Tom Perez, called the field “an embarrassment of riches.”
The party appeared particularly proud of its diverse array of candidates, spanning from a former businessman-turned-congressman, to the first LGBT presidential candidate, to minority candidates (both black and Hispanic and 1/1,024 Native American), to governors, to former members of the military, to energy healers, Andrew Yang, and even ordinary white guys.
As the primary process unfolded, Democratic voters whittled down their choices, and along the way, the field became notably older and more monochromatic.
Today, Democrats’ last “diverse” candidate, Elizabeth Warren, dropped from the contest, leaving just two remaining options: Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.
Biden, a 77-year-old lifetime politician who has twice previously failed at capturing the presidency, is known mostly for being a mainstream Democrat who makes a ton of gaffes.
Sanders, a 78-year-old lifetime politician who has once previously failed at capturing the presidency, is known mostly for his affinity for communist regimes and for being America’s most prominent socialist.
For Democrats, it’s time to choose: Will it be the bumbling old man, or the cranky Trotskyite?
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Since announcing his most recent presidential bid, the pace of Biden’s blunders has notably quickened; his former competitor, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), told CNN: “There are moments where you listen to Joe Biden and ... you just wonder.”
On Monday, Biden made easily his biggest blooper of the 2020 campaign season, absolutely faceplanting while attempting to quote one of America’s founding documents.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident,” Biden began, apparently planning to quote the Declaraton of Independence.
“All men and women created ...” Biden stammereed, clearly forgetting what comes next. “By the — you know — you know the thing.”
In the same speech, Biden mistakenly told the crowd that tomorrow’s “Super Tuesday” primary elections are actually on “Thursday.”
On Tuesday, Biden got his wife mixed up with his sister.
On Sunday, Biden got Chris Wallace mixed up with Chuck Todd.
On Saturday, Biden got South Carolina mixed up with … “the state of North South Carolina.”
And that was just over the last five days.
While Biden’s blunders are troubling enough, they look almost innocent compared to Sanders’ habit of heaping praise on anti-American regimes like Fidel Castro’s Cuba, the USSR, and China’s “glorious revolution.”
In 1985, Sanders said he was “impressed” with the communist Sandinista movement in Nicaragua. In the same interview, he praised Fidel Castro for Cuba’s education and health-care systems.
In 1986, Sanders said President Kennedy’s opposition to the Castro regime made him want to “puke.”
More recently, Sanders has indicated his views haven’t evolved at all. When asked about these comments during a recent Democratric debate, Sanders sounded echoed his earlier thoughts exactly.
“When Castro first came to power he initiated a major literacy program,” Sanders said. “There was a lot of folks in Cuba that was illiterate. He formed a brigade that went out and helped people learn to write. I think teaching people to read and write is a good thing.“
Democrats, scanning this “embarrassment of riches,” now must choose their figher: Will it be the crazy, or the commie?