Where I Stand:

Logic and emotion point the way for Bernie

Sun, Mar 8, 2020 (3 a.m.)

For what I believe is a significant majority of Americans, Super Tuesday was a moment to experience great emotion. It was also a moment that requires us to think logically. We can do both, you know.

This intersection of logic and emotion reminds me of two people from my past. One was Father William Schweder. He was a marvelous Jesuit who taught the logic of being logical. We affectionately called him Pop Schweder.

Campus rumor had it that in his prime he was an incredible mathematician whose skills were used to advance top-secret research during World War ll. It was the end result of that research that led him to find calmer ground, so teaching at Georgetown University provided that solace. Whether true or not, Father Schweder taught a great class that was tinged with emotion at every logical turn.

The other person was, well, really not a person but one of my favorite make-believe characters. His name was Mr. Spock and he provided an emotionless and logic-laden foil to Capt. James Kirk’s intuitive decision-making aboard the Starship Enterprise on the television hit “Star Trek.” Being half-Vulcan and half-human often caused Mr. Spock some internal confusion when he tried to be totally logical.

Knowing these two men as I do has given me some insight into what needs to happen in the Democratic primary race that took a very significant turn last Tuesday night.

Bernie Sanders, just like his other colleagues who chased the White House dream have done, needs to drop out of the race. And like most of them, he needs to endorse Joe Biden. And he needs — and Joe needs … and the country needs — to move forward together to give voice to the important issues raised during this campaign.

Both logic and emotion compel that outcome. Let me explain.

There is no question that Bernie has managed to connect, at the very least, on an emotional level with a significant percentage of America’s young people. These are people who for the most part know nothing else but a life defined by the devastating financial crisis of 2008, the Iraq War and an unending military involvement in the Middle East, a health care crisis that is defined by Republicans doing their best to take away from and not add to the health security of tens of millions of Americans, and a host of other issues that have negative implications for a future that does not resemble the past enjoyed by older Americans.

In that regard, Bernie Sanders has struck a chord that resonates with not only young people but many others who realize that something has gone awry in our quest to pursue and attain the American dream. But that chord alone does not win elections.

The logic of this moment must not be ignored.

If people want health care for all, logic tells us that President Donald Trump is not the man to make that happen. In fact, since taking office three years ago, he and his Republican Party have done everything they could do to destroy Obamacare without a comparable replacement for people who are just one illness away from bankruptcy.

Logic — and the lackluster response to date to the coronavirus attack — tells us that Trump must be defeated if we are to make progress regarding the health of our nation.

The same is true for immigration reform. Rather than vilify decent, hard-working people who have come to America with our country’s complicity, logic suggests that we should elect a president who will fix the problem and not make it worse for some petty political motives. That means Trump has to be defeated.

And climate change. Who doesn’t believe — other than Trump and some of his fossil fuel cronies — that climate change is real and really bad for our planet? Logic tells us that we need to change the presidency or else nothing will get done and, then, only heaven can really help us!

And don’t forget the growing income inequality in our country. We don’t have to look far to see what happens when the rich continue to get richer and the middle class disappears into the growing group of people who have nothing and see no way to improve their lot. Logic tells us that fixing this problem must not be left to a president who believes that making his friends wealthier at the expense of everyone else in this country is the only way to go. Logic compels the opposite conclusion.

The list goes on, but I think you get the point.

So here is where emotion meets logic. Bernie still thinks he can win the nomination. It is highly unlikely. But maybe, just maybe, he can. Whatever questions remain should be answered in a couple of days.

But Super Tuesday has shown that it is Biden who can increase the voting numbers, not Bernie. It is Biden who has shown that his appeal to Democrats of all persuasions, as well as to Republicans yearning to be free from the party of Trump, is real and that Bernie’s appeal remains limited to a passionate but minor part of the Democratic base. That part is not large enough to beat Biden, and it’s certainly not large enough to beat an incumbent Trump in November.

Logic tells us that to continue this fight — just for the sake of fighting — up to and through the convention later this summer will not only waste precious resources but will further divide Democrats when victory requires bringing everyone together.

And logic tells us that while Democrats fight with each other, Trump will be free to strengthen his financial and political hand in preparation for the election in November.

The logic of the argument starts and ends with beating Donald Trump. And so, too, does the emotional argument. Super Tuesday voters proved that without question.

Both Father Schweder and Mr. Spock would acknowledge that it is not often that both logic and emotion point to the same conclusion. And when that happens it is incumbent upon us to act.

Right now is the time to consolidate and focus on November. It is the only logical course of action.

Brian Greenspun is editor, publisher and owner of the Sun.

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