How did Joe Biden emerge the winner in the Democratic primary and should he be the Party's nominee for the presidency?

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In carrying out his obligation as a Democratic candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed former vice-president Joe Biden on April 14^th. How did it happen that, with little effort on his part, Biden now has a clear shot at being the Democratic Party's nominee for the presidency?

Before the 2020 campaign even got underway, voices were heard in the nation's capital bemoaning the likelihood that Sanders would walk away with the Party's nomination and then win the election against Trump. These fears were not unfounded. For it was Sanders, not Biden, who showed in poll after poll 60 of them since 2016 that he would beat Trump by a larger percentage than any other Democrat.

However, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Party's leadership in Congress knew that with a Sanders's presidency their chances of holding on to the reins of power would be slim. If push came to shove, even a Trump re-election would be better than having Bernie in the White House.

Our nation's oligarchs who basically own the upper echelons of the party always try to make certain that each major party nominates a candidate who can be relied upon to look after their interests. Trump vs. Biden satisfies that requirement.

These wealthy elites have not gotten behind the "beat Trump" mantra of the Democrats because they are not unhappy with Trump. He has gotten them what they wanted: a handsome tax cut and now another bailout. He has taken the US out of the nuclear agreement with Iran, opening up the possibility of a war over oil with that country, and has withdrawn the US from the INF treaty with Russia.

In addition, he has nominated conservative judges for Senate confirmation and his cabinet secretaries have deregulated everything in sight, including handing over federal lands to private interests. Trump's campaign coffers reflect their appreciation.

Early in 2019, the Democratic establishment along with the corporate media latched on to Joe Biden whose name recognition made him the Democrat who could beat Trump. For months, the media gave him polling numbers that showed he could climb Mt. Everest. But support quickly dried up when Biden didn't come through in the early contests. After Sanders racked up victories in the first three contests, Democratic Party leaders began leap-frogging from one presidential candidate to another in their desperation to find one that could stop Sanders with his money-raising machine and his ground game. Perhaps their method of beating Sanders in 2016 through massive voter suppression wouldn't be enough this time around.

Enter Barack Obama. Obama has been concerned about his legacy, about what historians will have to say about his presidential years. His most significant legislative achievement during those years is his Affordable Care Act. If, however, Sanders during his presidency succeeded in getting his Medicare for All proposal passed, it would eclipse the ACA big time. Right up there with FDR's Social Security Act.

Barack told his advisors in November 2019 that he would step in to stop Sanders if it became necessary. In poll after poll, voters rated "beating Trump" as their #1 priority. On March 2^nd, the eve of Super Tuesday, Obama made his first public move. By persuading Buttigieg and Klobuchar to drop out and, along with Beto O'Rourke, to endorse Biden at a campaign rally in Texas, Obama sent a clear message to undecided voters, in particular, as well as black communities in the south that Biden was the one.

The same voters who wanted to "beat Trump" also had Medicare for All as their #1 issue. It is not without irony, then, that Biden has said that if such a bill came to the Oval Office, he would veto it.

Yes, the corporate-backed Democrats were successful in using Biden to stop Sanders but they are left with a candidate who has more than the usual baggage. Just a sampling of his legislative history shows that he is not a candidate that would unite the country: Biden not only voted for the war in Iraq but he urged his Senate colleagues to do likewise; he worked to make it difficult for ordinary Americans to file for bankruptcy; he has recommended cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid; his successful tough-on-crime proposal sent blacks to prison with longer sentences than whites for cocaine use; and he raised the cap on the penalty interest rate that credit card companies can charge their card-holders.

But the most troubling concern is whether Biden has the mental acuity and presence of mind to debate Trump, let alone be president of the United States. His braggadocio, his misstatements of facts, his rambling incoherence, his overly-aggressive response to those who question him can no longer be explained by his being prone to "gaffes."

We need to pressure the Democratic leadership as well as convention delegates and members of Congress to replace Biden with another candidate before they embarrass us in front of the entire world by nominating a presidential candidate who also can't find the ending to a simple sentence.

Authors Bio:

Now retired and a writer, I am a feminist and political activist, a radical Democrat (have come to dislike the term "progressive"), and a blogger. Have done political tours of Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras, West and East (way back when)Germany, China, etc. Learned a lot about the US through other people's eyes. Wrote about my life in "Discovering America: A Political Journey." And was one of six winners of an international essay contest sponsored by Cuban ministeries.