I smell a major conspiracy....

[Playinghardball]

There's no doubt that Bernie probably smelled one a long time ago...

[CompanyFirstSergeant]

1. I hate it when....

...an entire post is a photo...

...and I cannot see the photo on this computer.

[VulgarPoet]

118. 12 photos of ridiculously large rallies, and "How are we not winning by literal landslides".

[tonyt53]

2. There is a medical condition that affect smell

You and Bernie should be tested for it. Bernie is behind by about 3 million votes. You just can't accept that.

[Ed Suspicious]

14. You have a good count on caucus goers?

How about that.

[J_J_]

19. everyone can smell just fine- and this 'election' smells fishy

n/t

[brush]

38. If all those people at those rallies had just voted . . .

[floppyboo]

105. yes indeed!

But they didn't because it is the Democratic Party Primary, and many are independents, and looky--loos. But with those #'s and the # of individual campaign contributions, I think you have to admit, that is a better representation of where America as a whole stands. All the match-up polls support this claim as well.

How this will play out in a general election when all independents will have a say in November is certainly a nail biter!

While there are some RW independents out there, there are also a bunch that want a small d democrat, and Hillary ain't it.
But I repeat what has been said over and over. I'm not giving up though!

[Atman]

103. It was always going to be Hillary. It's her turn.

It's sad, but true. Presidential elections are a sham..."they" will install the person they want to install. We get the bread and circuses to keep us amused. The powers that be will no let an ass-clown like Trump get his hands on the red button. But Hillary is perfectly acceptable. She's one of them, and she'll keep the controversy going for their "news" teams to report on, while America wages for-profit wars around the globe.

It's what we do.

[brush]

109. For profit wars — you are correct

What do you think of this: IMO Obama tried to keep us out of more wars. He resisted going into Libya and Syria for the most part so far.

The MIC is very powerful though, let's see if he can resist a full-on Syria involvement in his time left in office.

[onehandle]

3. If big crowds represented a win, than Nader would have won in 2000. nt

[tonyt53]

4. yup

[NurseJackie]

15. Remember President McGovern? (Me neither.)

[Sheepshank]

32. Same with Howard Dean

It's a curious thing.

Seems like these rally are more like concerts and pull in people who lack the motivation to actually do anything. The privileged and entitled are used to having everything done for them. They lack the will and desire to actually do anything other than look like a participant in an event. Too many keyboard warriors in this world and way too many non voters.

PS...I guess Hillary's listening tour doesn't seem so stupid to the BS crowd after all?

PPS...is there any chance that some walked away from the rally and decided not to vote simply because of the messaging? Wouldn't that be a kick in the shorts. Maybe we should just go with the unmotivated voter angle.

[AgingAmerican]

94. Nader didn't attract massive crowds

Ever

[firebrand80]

5. Not sure if this is disingenuous

Or incredibly stupid

Either way, I'm hanging out here for my afternoon lolz

[beachbumbob]

6. Most adults over 45 don't buy sanders bs....and we vote and understand

The rules....

[Baobab]

39. Seems like Sanders was never given a chance from Day One

You Hillarians have all the angles figured out, don't you?

Are you proud of yourselves?

Still waging a global war on public education, too, I see.

It started way back in 1995

[Trajan]

57. That's a bunch of fucking baloney

The rallies are PACKED with citizens of every age group ...

I'm nearly sixty, and what I can say definitively - you are full of shit ....

[dana_b]

99. +51 (my age)

and 60(x2), 61 (x2) , 67, 90, 91, 58 (x2), 55, 62 and 68

Those are all the ages of people very close to me that are voting for Bernie. Anecdotal but it's much more widespread than the poster would like to admit. It's difficult to win when you're fighting the entire establishment of a party and the very hackable voting machines.

[GreatGazoo]

110. So you think you speak for all people over 45?

how convenient

[RandySF]

8. A roomful of people

Does not make up 100% of the electorate.

[scscholar]

77. But when their opponent...

can't fill a room, it certainly looks suspicious.

[RandySF]

84. She never tried

She spent her money on voter contact, which doesn't attract media attention.

[KansDem]

107. Beg to differ...

This organization compared internet searches with media reports. Bernie had thrice the internet searches than Hillary, yet she scored almost three times the media reports.



Clinton: Internet searches, 9,235,231 Media reports, 87,737
Sanders: Internet searches, 21,536,032 Media reports, 29,525

Our analysis shows Bernie Sanders is being ignored by the mainstream media to a shocking degree. If covered at the average rate we’d have seen about 61,500 more stories including Sanders in the last 6 months: 91,094 mentions instead of 29,525.

Clinton receives a high amount of coverage, despite no dramatic changes in polls and lower search interest.

Candidates like Rand Paul also appear to be locked out of the mainstream press. Paul isn’t the most popular candidate, but if the average held he’d have been in twice as many stories. Rubio, despite being 36% more popular than Paul was 403% more likely to be covered by the news

http://decisiondata.org/news/political-media-blackouts-president-2016/

[NuclearDem]

9. It's a conspiracy, there's no possible other explanation!

It's twuuuuuuu

[BootinUp]

10. You have put your finger on the main reason Bernie needs to concede

The only real path to increasing the power of Bernie's supporters and others who are in similar circumstances is to build a stronger coalition, ultimately enhancing the Democratic Party. By letting this turn this into a second rate conspiracy yarn, he will be making that much less likely to materialize.

[Punkingal]

24. Uh huh...

We are supposed to believe huge crowds, and huge donations by millions of people, don't translate into voters. They did for Obama, they do for Trump, bur somehow they don't for Bernie. That idea is bullshit and people are blind.

[fun n serious]

30. Obama and Hillary ran a very close race

This is NOT. Clinton has a large amount of support in 2008 as she does now.

[onenote]

46. Sanders has not received "huge" donations from millions of people

He has received mostly smaller donations, from 2.4 million people. He has received almost 9 million votes.

And Trump has only received around $12 million in contributions from a relatively small number of individuals. (Compared to over $200 million that Clinton and Sanders have each raised)

You shouldn't call bullshit when your own claims are based on bullshit.

[Punkingal]

66. I meant a huge NUMBER of donations.

And you probably knew I meant that.

[onenote]

68. Actually, I didn't. I'm not a mind reader

And getting contributions from 2.4 million while getting 9 million votes (with, obviously, the number of votes will rise as the primaries continue) isn't much evidence of some conspiracy.

Also, care to clarify what you meant about Trump? Do you think his $12 million came from millions of donors?

[Punkingal]

72. I wasn't talking about donations to Trump.

I was talking about the crowds who show up to see the asshole.

[onenote]

73. Trump has big crowds, but he also has 2 million fewer popular votes than Clinton

And only around 1 million more than Sanders. Another conspiracy?

[Baobab]

29. Hillary in 2008 argued that "Bernie" (herself) stay in the race "Until every Vote is Counted"

I suspect the real fear she has is that the american people will realize she's been working against us on health care - behind our backs using trade deals for 20 years!

[BootinUp]

36. What Hillary basically said there was that by early June (pre-convention)

it would be clear. And early June BEFORE the convention, she conceded the race. She also pointed out the factors that made it worth waiting for that brief period of time. This is quite different than what Bernie is saying.

[Baobab]

37. Read the link below and to the right to see why its so important Bernie stay in

Hillary's whole health care plan was a smoke screen and a diversion , to help us be bamboozled out of health care affordability and JOBS, potentially millions of high paid middle class jobs- that started 20 years ago,


And the trickery is still going on. please, read it. Below and to the right, after the two charts.

[brooklynite]

11. You know how Deadheads used to travel around the country seeing every concert?

[Dr Hobbitstein]

23. So. Much. This.

[LiberalFighter]

25. Yes

[Squinch]

80. Lol! Perfect! Only difference is that they changed up the playlist now and then.

[rock]

12. The hard fact is

Number of people attending a rally NOT = number of people voting for cadidate

Some are just gawkers. That's just the way it is.

[NCTraveler]

13. This would be like me wondering how the UF football team ever gets defeated.

Me: One hundred thousand showed up to the game and they lost. How does that work?

Someone smarter than me: Because wins and losses are actually determined by something other than crowd size.

Me: What!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are you fucking telling me that crowd size doesn't have anything to do with the scoreboard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I smell a conspiracy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Someone smarter than me: Go change your drawers, that smell will subside.

[Maru Kitteh]

54. AND YOU, NCTraveler, WIN THE INTERNET today.

Congratulations.

[Beacool]

58. Hey, easy with my Gators!!!

I'll sic Albert on you.

[NCTraveler]

60. Alberta runs the show in that relationship.

Go Gators!!!!!

Warrington College of Business Grad

[Beacool]

61. I'm a UF graduate myself.

[NCTraveler]

64. Awesome. Go Gators!!!!

I knew there was something special about you outside of your obvious intelligence, sharp wit, and charm.

[Beacool]

70. Why sir, you flatter me.

[StevieM]

100. You're a gator girl!! It's nice to learn new things about you, Bea!! (eom)

[Beacool]

117. Yep, Gators all the way!!!

[uponit7771]

92. lol

[oasis]

16. At a Bernie rally, you appear to be "cool" AND it's also a cheap date.

[hrmjustin]

17. This is just sad.

This encapsulates the desperation we have seen too often on DU and it has only increased recently.

[leftynyc]

18. Because MILLIONS more

have lives and don't have time to go to political rallies but make sure we have time to vote?

[NurseJackie]

20. Another Conspiracy: Brought to you by the SAME FOLKS who think ...

... that Bernie's Facebook group was taken down by Hillary's campaign.

[NurseJackie]

21. I'm not seeing much diversity in those photos? Is anyone else?

[littlebit]

22. My daughter and a few of her friends have

attended several Sanders rallies and none of them bothered to show up and vote. Both of my parents, all three of my brothers, and myself have never attended a rally and we all voted for Clinton. See how that works? Just because large crowds show up doesn't mean anything.

[lunamagica]

45. Just curious, why didn't they vote?

[littlebit]

97. Who knows

It wasn't because they couldn't get to the polls. TX has early voting for two weeks. I guess they had better things to do.

[lunamagica]

98. Obviously he didn't inspire them. His rallies are fun shows, nothing else

Thanks for the reply!

[Beacool]

59. This..........

Large crowds don't necessarily translate into votes.

[Jitter65]

115. Same people traveling to different rallies..about 1/3 are repeaters. nt

[littlebit]

116. True

I will give another example along those lines. In 2008 my late wife and I went to two Clinton rallies in South Carolina. We didn't vote in the SC primary because we lived in NC.

[fun n serious]

26. Those of us who have been through more than a few elections

have seen this time and time again in elections be it Presidential or otherwise. You underestimate the power of people who do not attend rallies.

[The Second Stone]

27. Brought by the same people who hacked the DNC computers

for the Sanders campaign, committing a felony of unauthorized access to the private information of thousands of people.

[J_J_]

28. Silent Majority! Exit polls are always wrong! Minorities hate Bernie!

I know the list is long, but the absurd excuses the Hillary camp has come up with for why she has no visible popular support, loses by much more when there is a caucus and votes are seen by real people, or the 17% increase in MA where votes were hand counted...

It is so freaking obvious they are stealing it for her, and she sucks so bad she will lose to Trump.

We are screwed.

[mooseprime]

34. well in "a future to believe in"

can hardly hold a candle to "resistance is futile."

i say as a term of getting the government contract, they have to print "love and kindness(TM)" right on the cluster bombs.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

31. Lol. ok then. nt

[LiberalFighter]

33. Even if they all voted they are still only a subset of the voters.

In the NYC area consisting of 17 congressional districts 788,312 voted for Clinton and 464,324 voted for Sanders. Out of those 464,324 Sanders voters only 27,000 showed up at the rally. Why weren't the rest of them there?

[mooseprime]

35. it really doesn't have to be major at all

when a little phone tree involving the DNC and state democratic parties will take care of it nicely.

every totalitarian group ridicules discussion of unfair elections. it's how they roll.

[Tarc]

40. Not all of the crowds are actually interested enough to show up on election day?

It's not rocket science...

[lunamagica]

41. How is it possible?

How is it possible that Romney didn't win by a landslide with these crowds in Oho?





When I saw those Romney crowds, I laughed. By the I knew crowds were meaningless. I learned my lesson the hard way with John Kerry.

(For some I can't post this picture here, but you can see it at the link)

http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/democratic-presidential-candidate-john-kerry-is-joined-by-musician-picture-id51598242



Look at those crowds for Kerry! I myself went to one of his rallies...so exciting! I knew he was going to win, I just knew it! How could he not, when he can attract such huge crowds! And yet...

[JoePhilly]

42. Because those are not voting booths.

[alcibiades_mystery]

43. 27,000 in Washington Square Park, drawn from all over the NY Tristate area

270,000 people voted in Manhattan alone.

The saddest thing about these boneheaded conspiracies is their complete misunderstanding of scale. We need math education and badly. Filling a 30,000 seat arena is massive, but it's a drop in the bucket when 300,000 vote. Sandersites were excited about 3,000 people coming out to see Bernie at an event in Philadelphia. 3,000!

300,000 people voted in Philadelphia alone.

[Godhumor]

44. Because rallies don't equal votes n/t

[Yurovsky]

47. I don't know if it's a conspiracy ...

but it certainly highlights a major difference between the level of devotion & enthusiasm of Bernie supporters vs HRC supporters. The crowds at HRC's AstroTurf events exhibit all of the enthusiasm one might expect at a colonoscopy.

So for me it boils down to 2 candidates that millions of Amercans dislike squaring off in November. Trump's followers are highly motivated to vote for Trump. HRC's supporters strike me as kinda "meh" , although several of her followers have tried to make the case that she'll win because people will come out to vote AGAINST Trump. Now I don't have any hard data at hand, but I've heard numerous pundits over the years say that it is damn near impossible to win a race by getting people to vote AGAINST someone rather than FOR someone. And FWIW, there are plenty of Republicans and Independents who will vote AGAINST Hillary, so I don't see the "anti-Trump" vote tipping the scales when you account for the "anti-Hillary" vote.

It will be close, but in the end, Wall Street wins either way if it is in fact Trump vs HRC. Economic justice will get placed on the back burner even if HRC wins, and we'll have to settle for whatever crumbs she decides to toss our way to give the appearance that she gives a rat's ass about anyone NOT in the 1%.

[qdouble]

53. Most actual exit polls

show that Hillary supporters are just as enthusiastic about her becoming president as Bernie supporters.

Maybe reciting the same stump speech about the 1% just doesn't inspire as many people as you think it does?

[Yurovsky]

93. If the 1% gobbling up our national wealth doesn't bother you...

you must not think the prevailing economic injustice is a real problem. And I'd say you must not get around much. There is a growing number of Americans being left behind each year. The upper crust may be doing great, maybe even the upper middle class (who feel the 1% is within their grasp, rightly or wrongly). But most other Americans are watching their standard of living decline. And I've yet to hear HRC offer anything of significance to alter the status quo.

[qdouble]

95. The 1% is a garbage talking point.

Nothing beyond strong armed wealth redistribution will change that. I don't hear anything that Bernie has suggested that will stop there from being a 1%. Empty slogans and populist demonization of the wealthy does not equal sound policy.

[DrDan]

63. Hillary-supporters have shown their "devotion & enthusiasm" by actually voting

Bernie-supporters by showing up at rallies.

Guess which is more critical to gaining the nomination.

[Yurovsky]

88. She got more votes in 2008...

so the trend is not positive. In both election years she had every imaginable advantage, yet either lost, or - best case scenario gor her this year - got dragged all the way into May before she could put away a challenger nobody in the media took seriously a year ago.

She's not well liked. Never will be. Even if she gets elected, she'll enter office with historic negatives and a likely impeachment trial for crimes real or imagined (or both).

Maybe she would surprise me. Maybe she'd work to empower the poor & working class. Maybe she'd eschew militarism and seek peaceful solutions in international disputes. Maybe she'd reform Wall Street & the mega banks. Maybe she'd make single payer a reality.

There's a lot of things she could do that would benefit most Americans. And I would love to see her accomplish them if she gets elected POTUS. But I fear that much of what I would like to see her accomplish runs counter to what many of her big donors would like to see her do. And she'll have a re-election on her mind not long after she gets settled back into the WH, which means she'll be raising money from those corporate interests who will oppose progressive change.

I'd love to be proven wrong if she does in fact prevail. I'm not holding my breath, but if she shows courage and promotes a center-left agenda, I'll seriously consider supporting her in 2020. For now, she's given me no reason to.

[workinclasszero]

48. Ask President Rmoney, he had rallies that dwarfed Bernies..oh wait

For every one person that shows up at a rally, there are hundreds that don't.

I haven't been to any this year but I did show up at the ballot box and voted for our next President, HRC.

[apnu]

49. Politics 101: Always book venues smaller than your expected crowd.

Gives the illusion of a ground swell. Everybody does it, including Bernie.

[ContinentalOp]

50. Can you do basic math?

The numbers in your photo add up to only 126,000 people spread out over 12 states. That's only 12% of the votes that Clinton got in New York alone!

The biggest rally you list there in a state that has already voted is Seattle with 15,000 people. That's in a state where 230,000 people caucused, and there are 4 million registered voters. The Seattle metro area is 3.7 million people, which is about half of the entire Washington state population. So figure 115,000 caucus goers in Seattle, and 2 million registered voters. If 32% of them are Democrats, that's probably 640,000 registered dems in Seattle, so that rally represents maybe 2% of Seattle Democrats! And maybe at best 40% of the people who actually participated in the Seattle democratic caucus.

[KansDem]

52. Hell, you don't need millions and millions of people...

Five will do.

[MFM008]

55. they are the same crowd?

I swear he buses them from place to place.

[Beacool]

56. Yeah, it's called voting.

More Democrats have voted for Hillary than have voted for Sanders. Sucks, but it's reality.

[Stuckinthebush]

67. Funny how that works, huh?

Big rallies don't mean crap. Hell, Millie Vanilli pulled in big crowds.

[Beacool]

69. I had forgotten about them.

I wonder what they're doing now. Working at a karaoke bar?

[Stuckinthebush]

74. Eating free pizza

at a Bernie rally!

[Ned_Devine]

76. One of them, Rob Pilatus, killed himself in 1998

[Beacool]

86. Oh, I didn't know that.

I'm sorry to hear, sad ending to a promising life. I just looked it up.

"In order to restore their career, Farian agreed in 1997 to produce a new Milli Vanilli album with Morvan and Pilatus on lead vocals. This all led up to the recording of the 1998 Milli Vanilli comeback album Back and In Attack. Even some of the original studio singers backed the performers in their attempt to bring back some of the fame that had been shed so quickly. However, Rob Pilatus encountered a number of personal problems during the production of the new album. He turned to drugs and crime, committing a series of assaults and robberies and was ultimately sentenced to three months in jail and six months in a drug rehabilitation facility in California. Farian bailed Pilatus out of jail and paid for the rehab and plane tickets for him to fly back to Germany. On the eve of the new album's promotional tour on 2 April 1998, Pilatus was found dead of a suspected alcohol and prescription drug overdose in a Frankfurt hotel room. Pilatus' death was ruled accidental."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milli_Vanilli

[Ned_Devine]

87. I remember it in the news back then

I think VH1 did something on them too.

[Beacool]

89. They made a mistake and paid dearly for it, but he didn't deserve to die.

May he rest in peace.

[Ned_Devine]

119. Hey, who are we kidding? They were terrible

And there's a reason we use them as a punchline for jokes. I just personally would never equate them with Bernie Sanders in any way because I think he's the genuine article. His ideas may seem unattainable in this political climate, but for liberals and the working poor like me, he's been the voice we've been waiting to hear for a long time. I loved Obama in '08 and '12 and am disappointed that our system hasn't allowed him to bring the change he had promised. While it's easy to make fun of the big rallies and the hippies and "free pizza" eaters that may show up, we really believe in his message.

[DrDan]

62. rallies are a lot more fun than voting . . . that is tedious - you have to register and all . . .

[Starry Messenger]

65. Because his organization didn't make sure those folks got to the polls.

Next question.

[Bobbie Jo]

71. Or even registered for that matter.

I seem to remember the complaints early on in the campaign about how the DNC wasn't registering voters at his events, like it was their obligation to register Bernie voters.

The campaign should have been doing this from the get go. This is Ground Game 101.

Talk about missed opportunity...

[Starry Messenger]

75. ABO--Always Be Organizing.

Those commitment forms that Hillary's people got filled out at events--there's your list. Then you call people and check to see if they are registered and know where to vote.

I worked an election where we even asked mail-in voters if they had the right color pen to fill out the ballot.

[Zynx]

78. Because rallies are not representative of the general electorate.

[SaschaHM]

79. Posting 90% white rally pics for Louisiana, Arizona, and Texas

And you're wondering why you're not winning?

There is no way in hell that the New Orleans' pic is representative of the state, let alone the city.

[obamanut2012]

81. .....

[Takket]

82. This is a pretty absurd post. Have some dignity and self delete it.

[felix_numinous]

83. K&R Exactly

Don't believe your lying eyes.

[synergie]

85. Well, a lot of the crowds are the same people, and they can only vote once,

assuming they're registered, and bother to do so, and are not following Bernie around like groupies and attending numerous rallies in numerous places.

Also, he's losing in literal landslides because people who are not partying at his rallies are looking at his positions on issues, and seeing that he can't back up anything and has no plans or knowledge or even interest in actual facts.

It's why VOTERS are flocking to his opponent, and will be doing so in November. If Bernie and his supporters are smelling rats, at some point they need to start questioning if that odor is coming from themselves.

[uponit7771]

90. Voting > rallies? tia

[Scurrilous]

91. Mob rule ain't our thing.

[Andy823]

96. Hell isn't that a requirement

For anyone who wants to be a Sanders supporter, to be able to smell major conspiracies around every corner?

[brooklynite]

101. When I went to a Sanders rally last year (Amherst, MA), NOBODY was registering voters

Maybe they thought it was somebody else's job...

[Maru Kitteh]

104. I've also heard he never talked to the audience about getting registered in each state

How to sign up, deadlines, rules, etc. Boring details like how to actually vote must not have been "revolutionary" enough I guess.

[bkkyosemite]

102. I have a simple answer HRC supporters will never believe. The vote machines are rigged and many

are owned and connected to Soro's #1 contributor to Clinton. No tallies, no receipts nothing to check the vote, nothing....her 12 million is not 12 million. The fraud that has been in video is huge and appalling. This election is rigged and the queen has a coronation. The supers gave her their endorsement long before her opponents entered the ring. She is not winning fairly. Our Country among others sucks. No verification of the vote is on purpose. Missing votes is on purpose, switching votes is on purpose, trashing votes is on purpose. She will win this at any cost and any possible means.

[workinclasszero]

106. Huh?

much?

[Maru Kitteh]

108. IDZ DE MACHINEEES!

[emulatorloo]

112. The evil George Soros, who sometime we love and sometimes we hate

Hard to keep though on which days he's good and which days he's bad,

[bkkyosemite]

114. Huh? Much back at you...denial...denial..cuz no matter what she is gonna win come hell or

high water or preordained rigged election system. The proof is there but somehow you all on H's side don't seem to see any of the video's point blank showing it.

[brooklynite]

111. CT belongs in CREATIVE SPECULATION

I'll note that this drivel ignores the number of States that use and retain paper ballots for recounts.

I'll ALSO note that Sanders hasn't challenged the "rigged" vote count in a single State.

[bkkyosemite]

113. He doesn't have to. You guys keep using that one. But many states use the machines and

tabulators all privately owned and easily manipulated. You must have post it notes all over the place by now.