Joe Biden’s KC rally brings out supporters who’ve had enough of Bernie Sanders’ backers
Ann Wade, a 28-year-old grant writer in Kansas City, and her 24-year-old sister Emily Wade, who works at UMKC’s medical school, were strong Elizabeth Warren supporters until a minute ago.
“Until she sadly dropped out,” Ann said. “But we always had an affinity for Joe” Biden, the all-along and then all-of-a-sudden Democratic front-runner in this year’s presidential race.
“And he seems like the logical option for us,” Emily said, finishing the thought. When I talked to the Wades at the Biden rally at the World War I Museum and Memorial on Saturday night, they had a lot to say about the former vice president’s compassion and commitment and willingness to learn from their first-choice candidate. “He’s allowed himself to be open to new perspectives,” Emily said.
Both of them voted for Bernie Sanders in the primary four years ago, but neither is remotely inclined to do that in Tuesday’s Missouri primary.
It seems unlikely that the senator from Vermont would be willing to learn from them or anyone, since intransigence has gotten him where he is today. But that’s also what may keep him where he is today, running second in a two-man race.
Bernie Sanders wants to make the country better, Emily said, but his supporters seem more interested in throwing rocks.
Sending snake emojis on Twitter to Warren and her people, her sister Ann said, was somehow not the way to her heart.
Emily would love to see Sanders’ policies put in place. But according to his supporters, she said, “if you’re not all-in for Bernie, you don’t care.” Not about people, any of their problems, or whether they are dying from a lack of health insurance.
“You want people to die! I’ve actually seen that!” Ann said.
“His followers are not willing to give an inch,” her sister continued. “The hate! They feel entitled to our vote, but if you’re alienating us, why would we vote for you? Elizabeth Warren got more attacks from Bernie supporters” than anyone else.
“Because she’s a woman,” Ann added.
Everybody knows she brought so much to the campaign, the two agreed. And now Biden is going to benefit from her contributions and absorb her following, because he’s more interested in unity than in purity tests.
Unlike the Wade sisters, most of those I talked to at the event said Joe had been their choice all along, and these included several first-time voters. As in, this will be the first time they’re old enough to cast a ballot.
“I’m 18, and I’m going to vote for Joe,” John Murphy, a high school senior, said by way of introduction. Because Biden “stands for all people, not just certain groups of people.” Then he praised his candidate’s “interpersonal qualities,” which he feels will redound to the benefit of every American. Young sir, are you sure you’re 18? “My dad’s a lawyer,” he admitted.
To be young and passionate about Joe Biden requires quite an independent spirit — and maybe, though Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas won’t be endorsing anyone in the Democratic primary, a little bit of what Lucas’ family has said of him — that since birth, “he’s always been 30.”
Griffin Hensen, from Lathrop, Missouri, who will turn 18 on Nov. 1 and is excited to think he might be able to cast his first vote for Biden, likes that “he’s more moderate than the other front-runner and has the experience.” For the many Trump supporters in his town, it’s Biden who’s edgy. “In Lathrop, it’s what your parents believe.”
Maurice Kratz, a 27-year-old African American massage therapist wearing a Biden shirt and an “Eat the Rich” button, said his candidate “has a more executive presence” while “Bernie has buzzwords” and “is not on-brand for me. He’s too polarizing.”
What Tyler Habiger, a 29-year-old fundraiser for higher education, mentioned first about his first choice was stability, then leadership and the desire to help us heal. “To me, he’s Uncle Joe.” Asked about Biden’s off-script moments, he said, “His gaffes don’t bother me, because the work speaks for itself.”
A big point with Biden supporters is that while what he’ll say next is unpredictable, what he’ll do is the opposite. Like all under-40 supporters, Habiger says “my friend group is more Bernie, but I don’t mind. I’m a firm believer in Joe-mentum.”
There was no rhetorical wandering in Biden’s speech here, but the highlight was improvised. Responding to four screaming protesters, he kept trying to get them to stop shouting “Where will I live?” and just talk to him, person-to-person. “Would you be willing to talk to me when this is over? I’ll explain to you my whole housing plan.” This went on for a while, and though they seemed to have no interest in speaking to him — then, later or ever — he treated them with the respect that’s his greatest asset.
Then I came home from the event, and what were my friends saying on social media? Not for the first time, or the last, that if you aren’t 100% for Bernie, then you don’t care about those without health care. As one said, you “must be very comfortable. Peak privilege.”
Bernie supporters — and I gave birth to one of the Berniest of them all — if you think that privilege-alleging is the way to win votes, then keep right on walking, but I can’t say that I see that helping your candidate.
The contrast between the team that wants to sit down with protesters and the one that protests those who want to sit down is telling. And it may tell the story of this race.
This story was originally published March 8, 2020 at 11:00 AM.
