Why Sanders Does Better With Independents ~538 (HRC GROUP)

[Her Sister]

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-sanders-does-better-with-independents/

Excerpts:

In part, Sanders’s support among independent leaners is a product of the demographics of his coalition generally. Among Democrats and independents who lean Democratic, the independent leaners are more likely to be male, white and higher-income — and at the same time, they have less positive views of President Obama.3 In short, the demographics and attitudes that tend to predict being an independent who leans Democratic are those that predict Sanders support.

Conclusion:

It’s critical not to confuse “independents” with “moderates.” Sanders’s career itself underscores that point: He long called himself an independent, even while compiling a very liberal voting record. Sanders has demonstrated a real outsider appeal that does better among people with a similar profile, people who lean left but are wary of calling themselves Democrats. But appealing to people who are especially disaffected politically is a double-edged sword: It wins votes disproportionately among people less likely to be registered as Democrats, putting Sanders at a disadvantage in closed primaries such as New York’s and Pennsylvania’s. We should also avoid reading too much into Sanders’s support among independent leaners in terms of how he’d fare in November: The independents who vote in party primaries are in no way representative of independents generally.

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[Her Sister]

1. How liberal?

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[Her Sister]

2. Democratic-leaning Independents like Sanders

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[creon]

7. Not very interested

I think that, before Sanders, they were not all that interested in politics.
In fact, they, in all likelihood, "hated politics".
It was Sanders, with his emotional appeal to this that and the other thing, who led them to be "interested in politics".

There is, of course, a lot of romanticism involved: "political revolution", "speaking the truth to power", "casting the thieves from the temple" and all that. We all know the script.

What about Sanders? He is an ordinary politician, with a doctrine that puts him in a permanent minority. He ran for President because 2016 is his last ( and only) chance. He saw Hillary Clinton as vulnerable - she does have high negatives - so he went ahead.
He may have started out as wanting to "get the message out"; but, now, he sees a chance to win.
So, he will not quit. He will stay in up to the convention.

[stopbush]

9. Free. Within that word lies the whole of Sanders' appeal.

Ask any advertising guy - "free" is a powerful word. And Sanders has coupled that word with the idea that you should have been getting the free stuff your whole life, and you would have if all those evil "others" over there hadn't stolen it from you.

[creon]

11. there is that too

[IamMab]

3. These are the people who think "progressive" means "whatever boosts my bank account."

'Libertarian-lite' is an understatement. I suspect those supporters are the ones cited by Vox when they explain how many of Bernie's supporters don't actually want to spend more money to get the benefits he's promising.

[Haveadream]

4. Thank you

Privilege will do that to you.

I'm so not impressed with their motivations or tears.

[Gomez163]

5. IOW, Latte Libruls

[Her Sister]

6. lol!

[fleabiscuit]

12. LIKE!

[LiberalFighter]

8. Their view of Obama is less positive.

I don't agree with everything that Obama has done. But I also know he has done things that are good that most people don't know. I know it is more than just what we all see on the front pages or on TV.

I'm glad he became President when he did instead of Hillary. But Hillary should be the next President instead of Sanders because she has demonstrated she is more qualified. On a scale of 1 to 10 Sanders is a 1 while Hillary is 8-9. While any Republican is under 1.

[KitSileya]

10. Let's spell it out. The less likely you are to experience discrimination,

The more likely you are to be a Sanders supporter. This aligns with the survey done last week that found women who had experienced discrimination is more likely to support Clinton.

Marginalized groups know that money and education and jobs cannot make you safe at a police stop if your skin is the 'wrong' color, or if you end up with a dead fetus and sepsis in a Catholic hospital.

[fleabiscuit]

13. Spelled out correctly.

[SharonClark]

14. Good article