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Originally Posted by Ian_Warwulf
Buttigieg betrayed his base in exchange for, it turns out, Transportation Secretary.
The Obama call to Pete directly about the need for him and others to drop out NOW, before Super Tuesday and for him to think big picture and all coalesce behind Joe as the only one who had a real chance at this stage to derail what could have become a near insurmountable lead, is now out in the open and not something that is generally being denied.
Historically, having the front runner, Biden, drop out, as he admits they were likely due as they were broke and there was very little money coming in would be a massive benefit to Pete and those like him behind on the ticket. Now one of them greatly increase their chances as the money now looks for 'who is next' and all bets starts to double down. More so though, the strategic value of Pete's support for those who remain also goes way up as the chance of being King maker, grows as the bigger 'leaders' fall off.
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... An adviser told Reuters that Buttigieg was dropping out to avoid helping the odds of front-runner Bernie Sanders, a senator from Vermont and self-described democratic socialist.
“Pete was not going to play the role of spoiler,” said the adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Could he have went through Super Tuesday and beyond? Sure. But this was not a vanity exercise.”...
As to was Jim Clyburn coming out, just in time, when historically waiting to see where the dust settled between Biden and Bernie and others and then offering that support had more value and less risk.
So that is why it was so unusual for them all to drop out and coalesce because if it did not work Pete and Clyburn and others would have been far more on the 'out' with the new Bernie administration.