Supporters for both Democratic front-runners, former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, sit on the same street in the historic downtown of Alexandria in Virginia but that is about all they have in common
ALEXANDRIA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th March, 2020) Supporters for both Democratic front-runners, former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, sit on the same street in the historic downtown of Alexandria in Virginia but that is about all they have in common.
Biden's supporters many silver-haired and in suits, some with lawmakers' pins on their lapels enthusiastically greet the former vice president's first victories of Super Tuesday while savoring fancy food in a restaurant they rented for the night.
"I'm ecstatic. I'm so happy. I believe that Joe is the person that can unite our party and our nation," Deborah, an African American woman, said.
Several blocks away, a group of Sanders fans � they are significantly younger, wearing t-shirts and knitted hats � are gathered in front of a tv, tensely watching as new numbers come in. So far the result indicate a potential snag in what has so far been a disappointing night for the senator and self-proclaimed social democrat.
"We shouldn't have lost Virginia. But they have consolidated their support for Biden. [Pete] Buttigieg is out, [Amy] Klobuchar is out," one of the activists lamented, referring to two former candidates who quit the race on the eve of Super Tuesday and endorsed Biden shortly thereafter.
Biden voters are counting on the further consolidation of the Democratic center, which the former vice president represents, and continued discord within the party's leftist flank.
"We expect that Michael Bloomberg will drop out because he cannot rally the centrists and moderates, and ex-Republicans, and pragmatists in the party ... Then [Elizabeth] Warren and Sanders will continue to split the votes of Socialists," one of the activists said.
Sitting in a room full of hand-drawn slogans and pictures of their leader, Sanders' supporters cheer each other up as more disappointing data pours in.
"It's just the beginning of the road. In the end, we will do good," they said.
When asked to explain 78-year-old Sanders' appeal to younger audiences, one of them named his focus on social justice and environmental issues.
"Bernie is the guy who is going to help us stay alive on planet Earth," a man in his early twenties said. He admitted, however, that he would vote for Biden if the former vice president won the Democratic nomination.
Biden's strengths that are most frequently mentioned by supporters are his experience and heartwarming empathy toward people.
"He is a candidate that is ready to run the office. He has the experience, he is ready on day one. He was Vice President and during these eight years, he was well trained. He is the candidate who is going to outrun [President Donald] Trump and fix all the problems that we have," a man, who introduced himself as Kurt, said.
Deborah praised Biden, who at 77 is running for president for the third time in his career, as "a pragmatic person with his heart right." She expects him to restore the US' "standing with the international community."
