many candidates, which is why Biden can maintain a lead at around 30% for more than a year.

He was at 29% on December 9, 2018, 11 points over Sanders.

He was at 29.3% yesterday, 9 points above Sanders.

Except for ONE DAY when Warren's polling average was 2/10 of 1 percent higher, Biden's led for more than 13 months, typically with 50% more support than his closest rival.

Sneer at that as much as you want.

He's the front-runner, and al the media fuss about his rivals' "surges" hasn't changed that.

since he entered the race, and they have continued to do so, even in spite of evidence to the contrary

He's been flatlining under 30% since Harris took him down in June.

There has not been a Biden surge (or crash) since June. That's what I'm saying. 35% (distributing the undecideds) will secure a plurality, but not a majority of delegates. Biden has been a steady, but anemic frontrunner.

Sanders is getting only a fraction of the support he had in 2016, despite all his fundraising and spending.

And Warren and Buttigieg, despite being media darlings -- and despite raising and spending a lot of money -- haven't been able to overtake Biden.

Of the two candidates who were sure they'd be able to take away Biden's support among black voters, one has had to drop out, and the other is hanging on but polling at only 2 or 3%.

And the billionaire candidates have spent tens of millions on ads but still can't get close to overtaking Biden.

And Biden's maintained his lead and his popularity despite nonstop attacks and a multimillion dollar ad campaign from the Republicans, and nonstop attacks from the left wing of the Democratic Party, and the non-Democratic left.

Biden's doing so well against all these rivals and opponents is hardly "anemic."

He is simply too well known, and too well regarded, to have a gaffe or remark from the past, stick.

Biden is not a dominant frontrunner. Beto and Harris are gone - he has not capitalized with a lead that translates into victory.

with very few candidates compared to this one.

I don't know what you think a "dominant front-runner" in a crowded field of candidates, in an ideologically divided party, should look like. Or who you think would be doing much better than Biden.

There's been talk of Michelle Obama possibly running, with some viewing her as some sort of political savior. But the only primary poll including her that I know of, a New Hampshire poll done in October had her leading but only by several points ahead of Biden and Warren. Another pollster did GE polling of how well Michelle would do against Trump, and though she did well against him, she didn't do any better than Biden did in their polling.

Similarly, polls including Hillary Clinton haven't shown her doing significantly better than Biden.

There's no real reason to beleve anyone could be a more "dominant" front-runner than Biden, in this race, with so many strong rivals.

When people belittle Biden as a weak or tenuous or anemic front-runner, they're also belittling his rivals -- who AREN'T weak. His rivals are candidates who'd be expected to do well, and who have done well.

But Biden's doing better.

And it shows that, when Bernie supporters like to criticize the media, they ignore the fact the media has been treating Biden unlike any front-runner in modern presidential history. There have been so many stories calling him a weak front-runner or suggesting that his support is almost a mirage and will inevitably collapse as time goes on - but the reality is that he's been one of the most consistent front-runners in a multi-candidate race in modern party primary history.

In RCP's total average of polls, Biden has only once ever trailed and that was back on Oct. 7th - for one day.

In the 2016 primary, here's a list of candidates who led in RCP's overall average:

Jeb Bush
Donald Trump
Ben Carson

2012:

Mitt Romney
Rick Perry
Herman Cain
Newt Gingrich
Rick Santorum

2008 (GOP):

Rudy Giuliani
Mike Huckabee
John McCain

2008 (Dem):

Hillary Clinton
Barack Obama

2004 (Dem):

Joe Lieberman
Howard Dean
John Kerry

2008 might be the only race that's comparable except in reality, 2008 was a two-person race between Hillary and Obama. There's no Obama in this election, even if you want to compare Biden to Hillary. Beyond that, the third and fourth-place candidates (Warren and Mayor Pete, certainly) are far more competitive than John Edwards ever was in 2008.

So, I disagree that Biden has been an anemic front-runner. This race is very similar to the GOP primaries, and the Democratic primary from 2004, that we've seen in the past and those campaigns have had strong stretches of flip-flopping top candidates.

This hasn't. Biden has essentially led wire-to-wire.

But the sad reality is that if Biden is an anemic front-runner, than we have a very weak field because no one has been able to beat him yet.

believe those dropped out supporters will determine who will have the majority of the delegates

If it comes down to the Super Delegates, I believe they will go for the candidates with the plurality, though I don't think the SD will be the deciding factor. They haven't been in the past, and I don't see it now

The point is there were no surges...none. and 30% with such a large number of candidates is impressive. We are about to lose most of the lower tier of candidates...so expect that to change . I think by super Tuesday ,we will have a nominee. We need to pivot to a general as soon as possible. Trump is going to be difficult to beat.

nd is not representative of the country.

While nationally, Biden is averaging about 30%, his polling here on DU is only about 15%, and over on DailyKos.com, his polling is usually under 10%. So, why is that?

Well, Biden does best with older Americans, and a number of older Americans don't get online much. Of the ones that do, many do not come to online forums like DU or DK. Let me use my parents at an example. My parents, who are in their 80s, are probably more exception and than the rule when it comes to online usage of people their age. My mom has a Mac mini in her bedroom, a PC in her workroom, two Ipads, a PC portable, and a new android smartphone. My dad has a PC notebook computer set up in his bedroom plugged into a big flatscreen monitor which he can read better than his notebook PC. Neither of them goes to forums like DU or DK, and they might not have been online much at all if they did not have four children who were highly proficient at computers who could help them when they had a problem.

We made sure that they have a cable modem hook up with a wireless router and a wireless extender for the bedroom area. If their equipment is not working we come over and fix it. We help them find software to do the things that they need. However, there are a lot of folks their age who are not in their position financially to be on the Internet. Also, many people their age do not have kids who can make sure that they can always get to the internet easily. Thus, the polling on DU and DK is skewed. My parents are on Facebook a lot so that they can see pictures of various grandkids and such. They would be much more likely to join a Facebook forum for their preferred candidate than they would come to a forum like DK.

Also, people who regularly come to forums like DK tend to be more "activist" types. Activist types tend to be farther away from the political middle. That is why so many Democrats who come to online forums are lefty/progressive/liberal types, and it is also why so many Republicans who come online are Conservative/Tea Party types.

I protested against the Bush war for 7 years and the result was exactly the same as today's Republicans. Killing women and children was just fine as long as they were Iraqis.

I was trying to say that older Americans might be less represented proportionally on the internet, not that they were nonexistent. Also, based on your protest history, you seem like the activist type, which was also one of my points....that online forums tend to be populated by people who are more engaged in politics than your average citizen.

I’m thinking that the college people have already decided here already, and have never changed minds.

BTW, there is not extreme left. There has been extreme right. I can get along with you, but I cannot with the extreme right.

There is no extreme left...health care for all...green new deal to ensure there is future life on earth?

We think, and all the right does not. The left of this party was right about the Iraq war. I cannot think of a thing we were wrong about. Check yourself. Sometimes I don’t know what you guys mean by extreme.

I prefer Biden to Bernie, yet apparently a bunch of other people really cannot stand the guy. Why is that?

Democrats and really all the things enacted, were brought about by this...Bush caused two wars and crippled the economy, his justices decided United and those green new deal folks really think the environment is helped by electing Republicans? Bush rolled back multiple environmental laws. In 2010 the Green left abandoned Obama because he could not get single payer or a public option. If you look back, many of them wanted nothing if they couldnt have their way . Milions of lives of real people.meant nothing to them.

But in the end this made people demanded healthcare...and the ACA changed opinions about healthcare being a right so the Green left was wrong. If they had Obama`s back, it would be a better world. And now the left is attacking the ACA while it is under assault by the right in court...terrible idea. And real life people will die if we lose the ACA . In 14, we lost the senate and a SCOTUS pick because of it...I heard Obama referred to as a `used car salesman` right here and there were a huge number of recs too. I was lurking mostly then . The Green left hates Obama really and it shows.

But Trump is the worst thing they ...voting for stein, attacking Hillary in the general. And the repercussions will surpass even Bush's. Immigration,LGBTQ,Roe,Immigration, the environment,good safety,civil rights and more ,all on the chopping block with a right-wing court. What kind of judges do you suppose Hillary would have appointed? So when I look at the lack of support fot the party, I have too think with friends like this...

We would be better off since it would have come to a better position, say a public option. What was that guy head of it..Max something. He was from the right. No Republican voted for it so why include their opinions?

And I always had Obama’s back. I’m not sure about the Green Party, but I am pretty sure that most progressives will be there for Biden if that is what it comes down to. We may disagree at times, but it’s actual history that we stick together.

since he launched on April 25, 2019. So many pundits and so many on this board have tried to take him down with their negative words.. but it hasn't worked, so far.

Mahalo, hpd

I like things from the left, but we do our best

And buttigieg had a smaller surge.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/2020_democratic_presidential_nomination-6730.html