Today's PPP poll - Sanders viewed more favorably and does better than Clinton against Republicans

[Attorney in Texas]

In today's poll PPP poll in New Hampshire, "Sanders is also the only candidate with a positive favorability rating" and "Sanders does an average of 4 points better" than Clinton in the match ups against the Republican candidates; for example:

Sanders beats Bush by 9% (Clinton wins by only 2%);

Sanders beats Rubio by 4% (Clinton wins by only 1%);

Sanders beats Trump by 9% (Clinton wins by only 6%);

Sanders beats Carson by 5% (Clinton wins by only 2%);

Sanders beats Cruz by 10% (Clinton wins by only 8%).

Sanders has a 46% favorable rating versus a 40% unfavorable rating (+6%), whereas Clinton has a 38% favorable rating versus a 55% unfavorable rating (-17%).

[HassleCat]

1. No surprises here

We will nominate Clinton, and she will win the presidency. Probably. And we will continue to lose seats in Congress. And governorships. And seats in state legislatures. And every other elected office, right on down to Chancellor of Landfill Operations. But we'll be so happy about electing a Democratic president we won't even notice. In fact, let's start celebrating right now. Pass me the champagne, please.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

9. We'd better nominate Bernie, or we may not win the general.

[rhett o rick]

2. k & r. Thanks for posting. nm

[Dustlawyer]

3. I think I can recall about 100 Hillary supporters telling me I needed to vote for her instead

because we cannot afford to have a Republican in the White House. Also, she would be better for the down ballot races. Using their logic I am sure they have all switched and become Bernie supporters! (sarcasm of course).

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

10. And just think of what the pugs will do to her. I shudder.

[Betty Karlson]

48. That argument was only valid as long as Clinton was likely to benefit from it.

How dare you suggest that the same standard should appy to all candidates? Debbie and her Coronation Committtee are deeply disappointed that you would spread such seditious thoughts.

Also: 9/11, woman, racism, sexism, socialism, ehm... Sanders isn't really pro-gay, but DOMA and DADT were the greatest thing to happen to the LGBT community since Sappho's poetry. Anything else to discourage you from voting against the status quo?

[yallerdawg]

4. So far, the only Republican criticism of...

Senator Sanders (I-VT) I've heard was a candidate comment "One Democrat went to Russia on his honeymoon and never came back." Uproarious applause at debate. Somebody got it.

Ann Coulter swears the Republican Party fears the Senator more than Hillary - a position they are absolutely chomping at the bit to be in!

All these years, to actually have a "socialist" to run against - one who says, "Why, yes I am!"

Not that there's anything wrong with it! I'm just pretty sure America is just not ready for that.

Beat Hillary in the primary. Prove me wrong.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

12. Let's just take 'em one at a time.

Still 2 months 'tll the IOWA caucuses.

[RichVRichV]

19. People keep saying the Republicans will chew him up on the socialist label, and yet there isn't one

shred of proof that it will happen.


Bernie has been running loud and clear as a Democratic Socialist this entire time, and yet his polling has done nothing but go up with both Independents and Republicans to the point he's ahead of Hillary with both groups. He's run for years as a Democratic Socialist in Vermont and yet he has wide spread support among both groups there. There is no evidence that he is doing well simply because the Republicans haven't yelled loud enough about it yet.


The simple truth is that the same block that won't vote for Bernie because he's a socialist also won't vote for Hillary because she's a Democrat (ie: a "socialist&quot . We're never going to win that block over with any candidate. For everyone else it simply doesn't have that much of an effect.

[yallerdawg]

20. If Republicans and independents...

turn out in the Democratic primaries and get Senator Sanders (I-VT) nominated, great?

If that's your path to victory...

[RichVRichV]

23. The OP was about the general elections.

Or do you think the Democratic candidates will be running against Republicans in the primaries?


And that aside, I expect a large number of Independents to vote in the Democratic primary. Republicans not so much.

[yallerdawg]

28. My comment you are responding to...

is "Beat Hillary in the primary. Prove me wrong"

I forgot you all were skipping that part, the part where the majority of Democrats do not support Senator Sanders (I-VT). Unless of course the majority of Democrats are keeping it secret...

[RichVRichV]

34. There's nothing to prove wrong, your demand makes no sense.

You speak of Republicans attacking Bernie, and yet expect a rebuttal to that in the primaries when the focus is Democrat against Democrat. The rebuttal to it will come in the general when the Republicans actually do focus on the Democratic nominee.

As for the primary, we'll find out how solid Hillary's lead is by Nevada and South Carolina. If Bernie takes Iowa and New Hampshire, I expect the polls to tighten up substantially at that point. If he doesn't show strong in both this could be over fast.


As I keep explaining to people over and over, polls state the here and now. In the here and now Hillary has the advantage. They're incapable of predicting the future. Once we see how things go in Iowa and New Hampshire we'll have more clarity. Once we see the results of Nevada and South Carolina, then we'll really start to clear things up heading into Super Tuesday.


I'm a patient individual, and I'm quite content with where the polls are headed so far. I like Bernie's chances in New Hampshire, and I really like his chances in Iowa.

[Scootaloo]

21. And what, do their votes count double when Sanders is the nominee?

We outnumber them, chief. And a strong liberal candidate is a great way to get all those numbers out there and voting.

[George II]

5. Sanders won't beat any of those republican candidates, he won't be on the ballot.

[DaveT]

6. Penetrating analysis, George

Thank you for sharing your prediction. My prediction is that Sanders will win more than 350 Electoral College Votes, while Hillary retires from elective politics to become a full time zillionaire.

What's your pick on the College playoffs?

[litlbilly]

16. wanna bet?

[Scootaloo]

22. Sounds almost as if you're pulling for the Republicans there.

But that can't be right, can it? Golly.

[George II]

25. I don't follow your logic, care to explain it?

[SidDithers]

7. ... in New Hampshire...nt

Sid

[Codeine]

8. This. nt

[Scootaloo]

24. Oh! There goes "New Hampshire doesn't count" again!

Clinton's supporters need to figure out of new Hampshire counts or not. it's a bit schizophrenic when NH only matters when Clinton is ahead.

[George II]

26. Who said New Hampshire doesn't count? One could conclude that you and the OP....

....have decided that 49 other states don't count.

I think you're mixing up your primary elections with your general election.

[Scootaloo]

30. You seem terribly dismissive of it

[George II]

31. Dismissive of what? New Hampshire? It's a beautiful state, we vacation there a week or so....

....every year. I've got about a dozen friends up there and a few relatives.

I see you're back to making assumptions about people's posts again.

[Scootaloo]

39. I'm sorry, I had you and Sid mixed up. It's him being dismissive

[Enthusiast]

11. Kicked and recommended!

[pnwmom]

13. That's because his media coverage is low.

With high media coverage comes more negative favorability ratings.

If he is the nominee the Rethugs will throw plenty of mud and the media will be covering it in full.

[Attorney in Texas]

14. You must be right because O'Malley gets the least coverage and his favorability ... oh, wait, you're

not right.

[Scootaloo]

29. Or it could be because people genuinely favor him over Clinton, and over all republicans

And yes, the republicans will throw mud. ha anyone claimed they won't? There's a few things you miss, though.

1) Sanders doesn't have that many "real" issues he can be attacked on. Especially not from the Republicans (Really, is a Republican going to attack a Democrat for being "weak on gun control"?) All they really have is "He's a socialist! he's a socialist!" And htey've been screaming that about democrats since the 1940's. It doesn't matter if Sanders shrugs and says "so what?" the rest of the nation just isn't listening to the Republicans on this.

2) Which is another thing... Does anyone take the Republicans seriously, outside their hard base? Seriously, is Trump making big inroads among Independents? Is there any crossover appeal for Cruz? Any of them? These guys have been full clown car mode since the early '00's, and almost every loss the democrats have suffered to them are due to fraud (Ohio in 2004) or just running bad candidates (Alison Grimes last year, for example.) republicans are a public joke, which is why...

3) We outnumber them. Democrats and liberal-leaning voters outnumber conservatives by a notable margin. It's like 55 / 45. This is why republicans resort to gerrymandering and fraud to win, they just don't have the numbers to pull it off otherwise. Sanders happens to be more likely to secure both the left and independents for the Democrats this cycle than Clinton does. That is, he's just a better option for getting more of "our" voters motivated and voting. Which not only widens theresult margins, making fraud from the republicans more difficult, but also has a downticket effect.

So if your anti-Sanders argument boils down to "Well the Republicans will shit-talk," then you've really got nothing to say against him

[pnwmom]

36. How do you know he doesn't have any real issues?

The media hasn't been focusing efforts on him, and the Rethugs haven't either.

They have been digging into the Clintons for decades, but Bernie has been getting a free pass from the national media. That will end if he's the nominee.

[Scootaloo]

38. You realize that's an argument reliant on conspiracy theory, right?

"Oh, he's got positives in the polls, it must be that the media is going easy on him!"

"He doesn't have any real issues that anyone has found, the media must just be going easy on him!"

it can't be that he's actually doing well, or that he actually doesn't have serious baggage, can it? It's got be be some sort of oversight or plot, right?

Maybe... just maybe, he's actually a strong candidate. Think about it.

[pnwmom]

40. Not at all. He hasn't been getting much national media attention. His supporters

are always complaining about that.

But it's not a big conspiracy. He comes from a small, out-of-the way state without a big national presence. The national media hasn't had a reason to devote a lot of resources to him.

They didn't to the Clintons either, while Bill was just the Governor.

[Scootaloo]

41. You forget something

He's also been the one and only independent politician in the federal Legislature for twenty years, and as you note, he flatly calls himself a Democratic Socialist. What, you think no one's done digging on the guy?

Hell, Clinton supporters have spent the last seven months digging up - or just inventing - any smudge of dirt they possibly can and the best you've come up with is a little wobble on his gun legislation record. And vs. the republicans, that isn't anything.



Right now you're relying on the assumption he MUST have some nasty, dastardly secret he's hiding, and it's just that 'the media takes it easy on him" that it hasn't spilled out yet.

Seriously. for just a moment, consider the possibility that he's actually a strong, viable candidate. I don't expect you to convert or nothin', but just think about it.

[pnwmom]

42. He's not throwing mud at Hillary and she's not throwing anything back.

That doesn't mean either of them couldn't.

And we KNOW there are issues that could be blown up out of nothing, just as Whitewater, Hillary's losing real estate investment, got blown up out of nothing, and Obama's birth got blown up out of nothing.

It doesn't matter how pure Bernie is or isn't. He will be attacked and some of that mud will stick -- at least, in the broader electorate if he makes it to the general. People who are on the fence will be the first to get knocked off.

[Scootaloo]

43. Something blown out of nothing is still nothing

I notice that Bill Clinton got elected, twice. And Obama got elected, also twice. I guess Whitewater and Birtherism are bullshit. And the only people who persist in either are right-wingers, who we could write off already, aren't they? They weren't going to vote for Clinton, they weren't going to vote for Obama, they won't vote for Sanders.

Like I said, I'm certain that there will be mud slung by hte republicans. I simply understand that it will be meaningless noise.

[Samantha]

46. I believe Sanders will get a lot of Independents and Republicans voting for him

and that is what is going to make him top Hillary's numbers. Gradually, his Democratic base will expand with further exposure, but those other two elements are already there.

Sam

[NurseJackie]

15. They don't know him like we* do ...

... he's not yet been fully exposed to the average poll-taker. But if the GOP money machine had a chance to use their dirty tricks on him, he'd never win. And he'd be too broke to fight back. They won't be as accommodating... DU rules of conduct won't be able to protect him in the real world.

Fortunately we'll never know and he can return to the Senate very soon.

*Hillary supporters.

[floriduck]

17. Riiiiight. Nice try.

Code blue, code blue. Nurse Jackie to the propaganda room immediately!

[George II]

27. Once it gets closer to the New Hampshire (and other early) primaries or caucuses, you'll see....

....the GOP money machine running anti-Clinton ads in those states. They're terrified of Hillary Clinton and would love to see Sanders win the nomination. He'd be a pushover next November.

[Champion Jack]

32. Nice fantasy

[Hepburn]

18. IMO, people are waking up to the real Hillary

and not liking what they are seeing.

[doc03]

33. One huuuuge difference here. Sanders has not been subject to countless

trumped up investigations from Republicans or 24/7 attacks from Fox News and the NRA. What happens when Sanders gets
nominated and the right wing machine comes at him?

[gordyfl]

35. Did You See How Hillary, Bernie got on the Ballot in Texas?

Video (FaceBook)....


https://www.facebook.com/HuffPostPolitics/videos/10153582906252911/?theater

[moobu2]

37. But, but I thought polls for the general election didn't matter..

[slipslidingaway]

44. knr nt

[seabeyond]

45. Yet, Sanders can't get close to Clinton.

[senz]

47. Bernie's the best bet for the GE and the best bet for the U.S. of A.

No one else comes close.

[Babel_17]

49. Political careers trend towards having an arc

Secretary Clinton's has been carefully nurtured so as to dominate in the general election. But her arc is still reeling from having lost in 2008. She's no longer the anti-Neocon candidate. She's the establishment candidate who is on the left on social issues.

Her campaign looks and feels over processed, and over marketed. And that's just now. As time goes on people will continue to grow numb to its appeal, and that's where it's not outright rejected. Independents and fence sitters will not have any enthusiasm to turn up for her.

Raising a billion dollars to run ads will not be seen as a feature, but a flaw. People are tired of big money politics.