By Nicholas Fondacaro
As CNN host Jake Tapper pointed out during the network’s Super Tuesday coverage, there was an obvious generational divide between the Bernie Sanders (I-VT) wing of the Democratic Party and former Vice President Joe Biden’s (D). “Younger voters overwhelmingly are with Bernie Sanders … And older voters are overwhelmingly with Joe Biden.” Sharing their fears of that divide and resentment carrying over to the general election was a theme during the 9:00 p.m. hour.
“But that schism, the idea that younger people love Sanders and older people love Biden is one that actually potentially bodes ill for the Democratic nominee. Because one of those guys probably is going to win. But where do those other voters go for,” Tapper asked chief political correspondent Dana Bash.
Perhaps recalling a bad omen, Bash reminded Tapper that in 2016 much of Sanders’ base didn’t turn out Hillary Clinton. “Or, do they go? I mean, that was the question that got answered in a negative way for Hillary Clinton four years ago. Because you had the same generational divide in 2016, and a lot of those voters were so disaffected that they stayed home,” she explained.
After a brief update on the numbers rolling in, host Anderson Cooper prompted his entirely liberal panel to discuss that schism. CNN host and liberal activist Van Jones saw that divide in the black community, saying: “Those young black voters see something in Bernie they’re excited about and they don’t see it in Biden.”
In response, former Hillary Clinton campaign staffer Jess McIntosh was deeply concerned that neither side would come out to support the other against Trump:
There is no reason for those older black voters you’re talking about to not feel comfortable with Bernie if he does that outreach. There is no reason for the young folks to not feel comfortable with Biden if he’s willing to listen to them a little bit about the urgency their feeling and what they need from him. I am concerned that the camps are as polarized as they are and no one is willing—
At one point, former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe put the blame on a failure to consolidate on the shoulders of Sanders. “When Pete got out yesterday, you know, Sanders called him corporate establishment. That is not the way to build and unify this party,” he decried.
That caused Sanders backer, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, to lash out at older generations:
EL-SAYED: I do worry a lot that there is this attitude of, “if you all knew better.”
JONES: Exactly.
EL-SAYED: “If you know what we knew, then we’d be okay.” Right? “You just need to follow us because we know what’s going on.”
“We just don’t want to be lectured too,” El-Sayed continued. “And so, there’s a space right now for us to have a conversation that says, what is the future we want, the future we want to raise our kids in? And it’s not going to be wagging fingers at younger people.”
It doesn’t look like that schism will be sealed any time soon.
Editor’s note. This appeared at Newsbusters and is reposted with permission.