Name:   MartiniMan - Subject:   Among other things Date:   2/5/2020 2:58:19 PM

I really think his former appeal was the issue of electability.  For many mainstream Democrats that is what their choice boils down to, who can beat Trump.  What the impeachment process has done, either through serendipity or as planned, is to shine a huge light on the corruption and influence peddling of the entire Biden family, especially but not solely, his son Hunter.  So he is now rightly seen as a not very effective candidate to pillory Trump on corruption or abuse of power.  Far to many skeletons in the closet and the looming investigation by the Senate judiciary committee will likely uncover some really unsavory things.  I have long believed that was why Obama refused to endorse Biden.  He knows too much about these issues and how the Trump campaign can use them.  Add this to his gaffing, hair sniffing, being wrong on pretty much every significant foreign policy issue in the last 25 years and so on and he is no longer seen as electable and is losing support and lacks money.  And the black vote in SC will not bail him out.

So with Biden fading fast as the electable candidate they are left with a real problem.  Bernie is going to get his 25% from the left wing nut socialists but this early he is probably not picking up the Biden voters.  They are going to Mayor Pete, Fauxahontas, Klobachur and others.  What they hope will happen is that by Super Tuesday a clear alternative to Bernie will emerge from the pack  I'm not so sure because all the remaining options have their own issues when it comes to beating Trump. In short, they are in a real pickle and it would not surprise me in the least to see a move at some point to draft Oprah or Michelle Obama out of sheer desparation.