Photo by Aaron Bandler A panel on the morning of March 2 discussed the upcoming Super Tuesday primary elections in the Democratic primary and the general election in November during the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference in Washington, D.C.
CNN analyst Bakari Sellers said Joe Biden’s win in the Feb. 29 South Carolina primary will “be a springboard” for the former vice president, predicting that Biden will do well on Super Tuesday in states like Alabama, Arkansas and Texas, and going forward it will be a two-person race between Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
“This race is going all the way to Milwaukee,” Sellers said, referencing the location of the Democratic National Convention in July.
Paul Begala, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton, said Biden is currently in “the driver’s seat” for the moderate lane in the Democrat Party, especially with former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg dropping out of the race on March 1.
“Saturday night, [Biden] gave Democrats a reason to fall in love with him,” Begala said, referencing Biden’s victory speech. He added that Biden provides Democrats with a good alternative to those who feel like the nation is in need of healing from Donald Trump’s presidency.
CNN commentator Alice Stewart echoed Sellers and Begala in that Biden’s first primary victory and Buttigieg leaving the race has caused a “major recalibration.” But she argued that it’s unclear how many of Buttigieg’s voters would go to Biden.
“You also have to keep in mind that Buttigieg has a very strong younger audience … [and] those may go to Elizabeth Warren,” Stewart said.
Their comments were made before the March 2 announcement by Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar that she is dropping out of the race and endorsing Biden.
On the general election, Stewart argued that Trump has a good chance of winning re-election in November if Sanders is the Democratic Party nominee. She called Biden “a more viable candidate.”
Sellers was optimistic that Trump would lose in November.
“We had the two most unpopular candidates in the history of United States politics running against each other [in 2016],” Sellers said, referring to Trump and Hillary Clinton. “I don’t think we’re going to have that again.”
Begala was similarly optimistic, pointing to the Democrats’ taking control of the House of Representatives in 2018 as “the biggest landslide since Watergate.” He added that the Democrats won as a moderate party in 2018.
“[Trump] is highly vulnerable,” Begala said.
GOP political consultant Brad Todd countered that Trump has a good chance at re-election because the Democratic Party has lurched further left in recent years.
“We’re not talking about the Democratic Party of 2008,” Todd said. “That’s why Donald Trump has a great chance to win the Great Lake states.”
When discussing the alliance between the United States and Israel, Begala said he has wished that Sanders had decided to speak at the AIPAC conference.
“All Democrats should come here,” Begala said, saying that Sanders should have brought his argument to AIPAC. He also suggested that Sanders should visit Israel.
“They have a really good child literacy program in Israel,” Begala said, referencing Sanders’ recent remarks on “60 Minutes” regarding social programs launched in Cuba under the late dictator Fidel Castro. Begala, who suffered an appendicitis attack in Israel in 2015 and was treated at a Tel Aviv hospital, also pointed out that “Israeli socialized medicine saved my life and I think Bernie would love that.”
Sellers, who is going to be on the Democratic Party’s platform committee, anticipated the party will pass a staunchly pro-Israel platform. He pointed to the $30 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that the Barack Obama administration signed with the Israeli government as example of the Democrats’ support for Israel.
Stewart argued that Israel could become a general election issue if Sanders is the nominee, drawing a contrast between Sanders accusing AIPAC of giving a platform to bigots and Trump’s decisions to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, exiting the Iran nuclear and recognizing Israel’s sovereignty.
“If those are the options, [Israel] will be [a general election issue],” Stewart said.
On congressional races, Todd argued that Sanders would have a negative down-ballot effect on Democrats. Begala, on the other hand, suggested that Trump would be detrimental to Republican congressional candidates, saying that college-educated women “are running from Trump. … He frightens them for good reason.”
Begala added, “I think you’re going to see a lot of Republicans trying to unhinge themselves from Trump.”
Stewart disagreed, saying she thinks Trump will “galvanize Republicans.”
Sellers predicted the Democrats will take back the White House and remain in control of the House of Representatives in November, but will have trouble in the Senate races.
“I do think you’ll probably have a seat to flip but I don’t see too many bright spots for Democrats,” he said.
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