I supported @BernieSanders in 2016, but I have to say: After watching the full #LJ19 event, it’s clear that in a one-on-one contest, Bernie can no longer keep up with the other frontrunners. He is, to be blunt, too old for this shit. Let him retire with dignity.

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Bernie was the only one to use a podium and read his prepared remarks off a printout. He sounded slow and monotone, not animated and fiery like I remember him from ‘16. He had the tone of an aging academic, not the inspirational champion he has been and needs to be to win.

His mind is all there (unlike Biden ) but he’s not going to look good facing off against Warren, who could literally run circles around him, and who will only look more attractive to non-DSA progressives and liberal women as the field thins.

And Buttigieg and Yang? Just by being in the room, they make Sanders’ age a liability. Eventually Sanders would have to show that he has superior energy, charisma, and mental acuity — to say nothing of ideas — than his rivals. Yes, ALL those factors matter a great deal to voters.

And he no longer owns the entire progressive lane. So there’s nowhere to go except to double down on his role as the original champion of ideas that are either no longer radical (wages) or that don’t actually appeal to moderates (single-payer).

Bluntly, the Sanders campaign is in denial about the longterm viability of their candidate. (As is the Biden campaign.) I think it’s irresponsible to allow a 78-year-old man, who just suffered a heart attack, to run for one of the most stressful jobs on Earth.

Bernie’s run in ‘16 changed the Democratic party for the better. It reinvigorated the American Left. But as a candidate, he has limited viability, and as a human being, he deserves a peaceful final chapter to a storied career. Let the man retire.