Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT), a self-described "Democratic Socialist" has had momentum in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. The only place he wasn't been victorious was South Carolina, where former Vice President Joe Biden beat him by almost 30 percentage points. Despite that momentum and enthusiasm, Biden believes that passion for Bernie might not translate into votes.
“You think that Bernie Sanders can’t beat President Trump. Why do you think that you will be able to beat him given the fact that Bernie does have more enthusiasm among young people, and among some other minority groups, not in South Carolina, obviously, but nationally?” CNN's Jake Tapper asked.
Biden chuckled.
"Let me put it this way. I think that enthusiasm does not necessarily translate into votes. You saw more people voted yesterday in South Carolina, I am told in the primary than any other time. We got the largest turnout," the former vice president explained.
Even though Biden says he "won every single solitary county" in South Carolina, that wouldn't hold true for every state.
He says the biggest difference between him and Sanders is their outlook.
"People are not looking for a revolution. They're looking for results and not only who can beat Donald Trump, but who can keep a Democratic House of Representatives and who can bring along a Democratic Senate, and that means that you to be able to compete in almost every state from the top of the ticket. It is a matter of fact."
Democrats have continually said they're worried about a Sanders nominee. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) recently said having Sanders at the top of the ticket would make it extremely difficult for the Democrats to keep their majority in the House. Ana Navarro-Cardenas, one of the hosts on "The View," mentioned that Democratic congresswomen Donna Shalala and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, both from Florida, would struggle with a Sanders nomination because of his views on socialism and praise of Fidel Castro. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Democratic governors across the nation are worried about Sanders' take on socialism as well.
The reason Democrats are worried about a Sanders nomination is they'll be forced to move further left and defend socialism. They'll have to run alongside Sanders' crazy policies. And that definitely won't go over well in purple districts.
Former Vice President Joe Biden tells @jaketapper that "enthusiasm doesn't necessarily translate to votes," a clear jab at Sen. Bernie Sanders. pic.twitter.com/edTWESWZBG
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 1, 2020