Biden: 'I think we've had enough debates'

[RandySF]

Former Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday suggested there should be no more televised debates for the remainder of the 2020 Democratic primary, signaling an unwillingness to spar on stage again with Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont next month.

Ater a virtual news briefing on the coronavirus pandemic conducted from his home in Delaware, Biden was asked about the Sanders campaign’s statement to The New York Times on Tuesday that the senator would appear in an April debate if the Democratic National Committee proceeded with organizing the event.

Pressed on whether he, too, would participate, Biden said: “My focus is just dealing with this crisis right now. I haven’t thought about any more debates. I think we’ve had enough debates. I think we should get on with this.”

Biden and Sanders last traded barbs in their first one-on-one debate of the primary cycle on March 15, and it is unclear whether there will be another such forum before the start of the general election campaign.




https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/25/joe-biden-debates-148620

[William769]

1. K&R.

[Zeus69]

2. Good for Joe

Ridiculous to even consider it.

[Thekaspervote]

3. From what I've read, Joe Biden has no intention of debating sanders..good for him

[getagrip_already]

4. I think he's right... n/t

[sheshe2]

5. K&R!

[Jarqui]

6. I agree completely with Joe

The primary is over whether Sanders wants to accept it or not.

I'd just basically ignore Sanders and prepare for the general election.

[NurseJackie]

7. Joe has the upper hand. He's showing Bernie his place. He's taking control and...

Joe has the upper hand. He's showing Bernie his place. He's taking control and being a leader. Joe Biden is the winner. Bernie Sanders is the loser. Losers don't get to set the rules or make the conditions. Losers don't get to make demands.

Joe Biden doesn't need any more debates to come out on top... he's already won. It's Bernie Sanders who NEEDS the debate. Joe doesn't owe him anything. It's time for Bernie to go home and let the WINNER get on with the business of defeating Trump.

You're holding us back, Bernie. You're a distraction, Bernie. Your rhetoric and smears are divisive, Bernie.

Stop it.

[MyOwnPeace]

13. Well said, but it is also time.......

for Bernie to step up and SUPPORT the presumptive Democratic nominee - go out there and continue your fight - but do it for the USA - letting everyone know what needs to be done to make America Great Again - with QUALIFIED leadership and support from all of those with a true belief in DEMOCRATIC values.

Go, Joe!

Get on board, Bernie - don't let our country down.

[emmaverybo]

34. +1000

[2naSalit]

8. He's busy working on

dealing with this crisis but he is also probably going to reassemble a number of civil servants who were run ff by the ogre regime and can do well in reestablishing a lot of what has been dismantled by this horrid crew of jackals.

[dchill]

30. Besides, Bernie SHOULD have plenty of work...

...to catch up on in his day job.

[LizBeth]

9. " I think we should get on with this." Most agree. We have all moved on as primaries stalled.

Time to get on with this.

[George II]

10. His next debate should be with trump, if donny has the guts to face him.

[DENVERPOPS]

48. I guarantee you

Manchild little donnie wouldn't follow a real MAN, like Biden, around the stage stalking him like manchild did to Hillary......

It probably took Hillary every last bit of her self control to not stop suddenly, have him run into the back of her, and then Hillary turn around and knee him in his tiny mushroom. I WOULD HAVE PAID TO SEE THAT.......Oh.My.Godness can you imagine Trump, on national TV, being ultimately humiliated, by a woman no less........

Or at least she could have turned to the moderator saying loudly: "Would you PLEASE tell this creep to quit STALKING me around the stage?"

[MyOwnPeace]

11. As the brilliant social analysis Don Meredith once said:

[George II]

51. YOU STOLE MY VIDEO!!!! I've posted that after all of the last "super" primary days....

Love that one, Dandy Don (not talking about the idiot in the white house) was one of a kind. Now that I think of it, so is the idiot in the white house.

Thanks for posting that video, it can't be posted here enough.

[MyOwnPeace]

52. "So, George,

(in the voice of H o w a r d C o c e l l) you have stood up and claimed to be the true owner of the voice of my own Dandy Don.
So, tell me then, how do you plan to proceed from this point to let the minions of the befallen know that the true leader has risen to the top of the arena and has claimed his rightful place as the champion of the great American contest?"

[Progressive dog]

12. We have had enough debates.

I can't stand another minute of Bernie answering every question with five more minutes of why M4All would solve every problem for everyone.

[dem4decades]

14. Biden kicked Bernie's ass last debate, but it's time for Bernie to fold them.

Kenny Rodgers died this week, Bernie should have listened.

[dchill]

15. Time to move on...

Time to move on, time to get going
What lies ahead, I have no way of knowing
But under my feet, baby, grass is growing
It's time to move on, it's time to get going

Sometime later, getting the words wrong
Wasting the meaning and losing the rhyme
Nauseous adrenaline
Like breakin' up a dogfight
Like a deer in the headlights
Frozen in real time
I'm losing my mind

-Tom Petty

[MontanaMama]

24. Aw. I love that song.

[dchill]

27. Me too! Tom Petty Radio is the main reason I have...

Sirius.

[MontanaMama]

45. Great minds and all that...

Tom Petty is the main reason I have a Sirius too.

[Ferrets are Cool]

16. Bravo!!!

[LiberalBrooke]

17. Stick to no more debates Joe

Bernie has no path to the nomination. His only goal in a debate would be to rear Joe and the Democratic Party down. That would not help defeat don the con

[seta1950]

18. I agree with the VP

We’ve had enough distractions let’s have Joe on tv as much as possible , please let’s not repeat 2016 this time we will truly all die,I have no doubt.

[Lonestarblue]

19. Indeed! Time to move on.

[Sienna86]

20. I'd like another debate

Why not? Important issues of health care and leadership qualities are at hand. My best to both of them.

[degage]

33. Important issues of leadership have been resolved. Healthcare will not be decided in a Dem debate.

I feel quite firmly that Biden is the real leader of the two. The person who can work with others to form a coalition. The person who can set aside his own personal ego when necessary. I don't think Bernie has not displayed any bit of that sort of leadership.

The issue of healthcare will not be decided in a Democratic Debate. Nothing either person says or promises will be what ends up enacted. We already know where each stands on the subject so we no where the starting position for each person is.

Bernie should use his role in the Senate to work with others to help form a healthcare bill or bills now. In fact, that's his job.

[Happy Hoosier]

41. Biden could LOSE every ...

Remaining contest by 10 points and STILL clinch the nomination.

So what’s the point of further debates again?

[Codeine]

57. "At hand"? How? The primaries are over. Push the button, Frank. nt

[Javaman]

21. He's right. nt

[ucrdem]

22. "I think we should get on with this."

Well said. Very respectful to Sanders and his supporters. But the next debate challenge should be to Trumpolini.

[BlueIdaho]

23. I could not agree more.

I’m done listening to Bernie’s rants. His 15 minutes of fame are up.

[MontanaMama]

25. Bernie isn't showing up in the Senate for votes.

Why would he should up to a debate?

[Cha]

50. I don't think he deserves another debate..

his primary election performances.. he and his surrogates' attitudes post elections and he didn't show up at the Senate.

[Aquaria]

55. At the debate he would get his attention fix

Unlike in the Senate, where he's still a back bencher after 30 years in DC.

[Pillow talk]

26. i don't see the harm in it. There is an upside as well. trump will use populist ideals

as will sanders (NOT COMPARING THE TWO MORALLY)

[LizBeth]

36. Sanders is done. Now it is just see how Sanders gets out of the race, that will further define him.

[Pillow talk]

39. it won't be gracefully. imo. so why fight the inevitable. plan for it, is the right response

[IluvPitties]

32. No, your candidate lost.

We Democrats chose our nominee, Joe Biden. There is nothing to discuss with Bernie because he lost.

[Freethinker65]

29. Agree. But honestly that seems like the only way to get free Media airtime...

Free media airtime to combat Trump's daily televised praise and misinformation rallies.

It would be great if Biden and Bernie could agree to "debate" but turn it into a Democratic response for all of the misinformation Trump has been allowed to spew unchallenged daily for free.

Wishful thinking on my part. But still...

[napi21]

31. I haven't heard any talking head or reporter even mention Bernie still running. Nobody's paying any

attention to him. Once I heard a reporter mention Sanders saying something in the Senate about the emergency bill, but they didm
't even say what he said about it. It doesn't take a brilliant mind to know the Bernie campaign is done! I'm pretty sure if anybody asked around BS still running the response would be "HUH? I don't know. Haven't heard anything."

[jalan48]

35. And we certainly don't want to be debating about national healthcare programs during this crisis!

[LizBeth]

37. Sanders is far from the one addressing what the people need right here and now. The Democratic party

has this.

[Aquaria]

54. We've had that debate

And the voters have said they're fine with how Biden wants to handle the issue.

What part of no do BS and his BSers not understand?

[jalan48]

56. American's are really going to love their

insurance industry health care after they get their Coronavirus bills.

[The Magistrate]

60. That Is Just Pointless Noise, Sir

Nothing different could possibly be put into place before a year had passed. The system as it exists at present is going to have deal with the crisis, and what bills come due will come due. Debt relief is possible, perhaps, within a year, but a new national health structure could not be in place for a couple of years. 'Bernie' couldn't do it any quicker even if he were in the oval office himself. A President does not rule by decree, nor is the 'Bernie' dream of millions in the streets awing his opponents into cooperation ever going to materialize.





"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."

[Codeine]

58. Biden can debate Trump.

Bernie’s a footnote who has his surrogates out pushing rape allegations against our nominee. We don’t need to hear another word from him. Losers don’t get to dictate terms.

[tavernier]

38. Thank you, it was already one debate too many.

I like Bernie and didn’t particularly like to see him excoriated like he was, but he put himself there. Let him retire with dignity.

[Evolve Dammit]

40. No further debates is not democratic.

[Hekate]

43. Wrong

[Evolve Dammit]

44. Explain why further debate prior to the Convention is wrong.

[groundloop]

46. Please explain why NOT having any more is not Democratic

There have been plenty of debates already, more than enough in fact. Having more is just a total waste of time which could be better spent detailing plans to handle the current pandemic as well as working on beating tRump.

[Evolve Dammit]

53. BS; we have a plethera of national problems that pre-existed and will exist after this.

Limiting meaningful debate is un-democratic.

[Tarheel_Dem]

63. The keyword here is "meaningful". I guess we differ on the meaning of that word. The last...

debate was roundly hailed by the punditocracy as a disaster for Sanders. Mathematically, it's all over but the crying at this point.

[Demsrule86]

67. A debate between the winner ( Biden) and the loser (Sanders) is meaningless.

[Codeine]

72. He can discuss this "plethera" (ahem) of problems

with his opponent, President Trump. Bernie is no longer part of the election process and we no longer need to waste valuable energy paying attention to him.

[Evolve Dammit]

64. Gee, I dunno, How about meaningful differences between the two leading candidates??

"More than enough in fact." You're pathetic.

[Demsrule86]

66. There are not two leading candidates...Biden is the victor...Sanders lost. Thus, it really doesn't

matter what differences there are at this point...Sanders needs to accept that voters did not choose him and it is over.

[honest.abe]

47. It benefits no one except Trump.

The voters have spoken. They want Joe.

[Demsrule86]

65. waste of time and money. Sanders needs to go away...we need a hook I think.

[Codeine]

59. Bernie lost. We're moving on. nt

[Demsrule86]

69. Primary is done...Sanders will not be the nominee...you need to accept that.

[Evolve Dammit]

71. You're missing my point.

[Hekate]

42. Good. Take control of the narrative, Joe.

If Tulsi had stayed in, would Joe feel compelled to debate her?

Sure Sanders has more of a base than Tulsi, but that base is small and too-often hostile to Democrats & our Party. They keep threatening to not vote for Joe Biden if they don't get everything they demand right this very minute. We & the Party need to learn from recent history even if they don't.

[honest.abe]

49. Good. Its time to confront Sanders and his gang.

Biden is the presumptive nominee and is now the leader of Democratic party. Its his call if there are more debates.

[Cha]

61. I know damn well we've had all the debates we're

going to have. BS had his chance and he blew it.

[Tarheel_Dem]

62. I agree with him, and I hope the DNC does too. n/t

[NCProgressive]

68. I agree. More debates won't reveal anything new.

[Cha]

70. KICK!