I’m Wishin’ and A-Hopin’


The title of this piece is hijacked from a song by the so-called “Godfathers of Punk Rock” and I thought the lyrics were appropriate when thinking about the November, 2020 election. But first the background:

A poll from the New York Times shows Bernie Sanders with a seven point lead in Iowa. Sanders is at 25%. Currently, the RealClearPolitics (RCP) poll of polls in Iowa shows that Bernie is less than a point away from first place Joe Biden, 20 points to 19.3 points.

The most recent poll out of New Hampshire has Sanders up a whopping 12 points — 29 percent to second-place Buttigieg’s 17 points. In the RCP poll of national polls, Biden is in first place with 29 percent support. Bernie is in second with 23 percent. Warren is in third place but still far behind, with just 15 percent support.

Now while Sanders is ahead in some places and Biden is ahead in others, at this point this has seemingly turned into a two-horse race. The Sanders horse seems to have the momentum, despite the fact that he is now trapped in the Senate’s Impeachment trial, along with the Klobuchar, and Warren fillies.

If I was a fan of conspiracy theories I would surmise that because it is to Biden’s advantage to keep the Senate trial going for as lone as possible, “the Dems in the know” are secretly not only rooting for but also surreptitiously encouraging a longer trial . . . as long as Joe doesn’t get called as a witness, and he won’t! Keeping the Klobuchar filly, the Warren filly, and the Sanders stallion, or more likely the Sanders gelding, in the Senate stable can only be good for Old Joe. From my perspective, the only thing that this drawn-out skullduggery of this trial can do is to increase the “rah-rah-sis-boom-bah” enthusiasm of the Sanders backers.

I can hear the mumbling that these conspiracy theories are almost always nonsensical. However consider the following:

First from Breitbart: “There is talk now that the Democrat establishment is so freaked about the possibility of Bernie winning the primary, former President Barack Obama is thinking of coming out and publicly opposing Sanders.

In addition according to Charles Gasparino, Fox Business News:

“SCOOP: Dem Party sources who have spoken w @BarackObama say former prez is growing increasingly anxious about @BernieSanders rise in the national polls & where the avowed socialist would take the country; he is considering a public statement addressing it more now @FoxBusiness.“

At this point, I am hoping that all of this conjecture is true, and I’m wishin’ and a-hopin’ that the “Dems in the know” somehow go after Sanders and subsequently derail his nomination. With Biden becoming the nominee, I’m wishin’ and a-hopin’ that the Sanders backers will be so p.o.’ed that they will not show up to vote. 

Make no mistake, I think that Trump will defeat Biden, Warren, or any other late-entry, practically lame horse that the Dems decide to run. However, if the Sanders backers stay home in November, 2020, the subsequent lowered Democrat turnout will be a huge help for the Republicans running for either the House or the Senate.

Like the Standells sang in their 1966 hit, “Dirty Water,” . . . “I’m wishin’ and a-hopin’!”

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