Black Voters in South Carolina Chose Joe Biden, Not the “Democratic Establishment”

A quick question: Why do people keep saying that the “Democratic establishment” has chosen Joe Biden to be the party’s nominee? As near as I can tell, the Democratic establishment did diddly squat until the mostly black citizens of South Carolina overwhelmingly chose Joe Biden. The establishment then followed their lead. Feel free to call this either weak-minded or respectful of the Democratic base, whichever floats your boat. But one thing it wasn’t was the Democratic establishment choosing anything.

It’s true, of course, that the Democratic establishment didn’t support Bernie Sanders and was just waiting for a cue to decide who they’d support instead. Once again, feel free to label them a bunch of cowardly, centrist corporatists for this if you wish. But given Bernie’s obvious disdain for the party leadership and everything it stands for, this was hardly a big surprise, is it?

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We’ll say it loud and clear: No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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