Opinion: Will Sanders stun Hillary in 2016 like Obama did in 2008?

[cal04]

Vermont senator gets enthusiastic support from ‘Warren’ wing of party
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/will-sanders-stun-hillary-in-2016-like-obama-did-in-2008-2015-06-24

Elizabeth Warren has officially missed the boat on running for president, but that doesn’t mean Hillary Clinton has clear sailing to the Democratic nomination.

Two leaders of the “Ready for Warren” movement that sought to draft the Massachusetts Democrat have accepted her decision not to run and switched their support to Vermont independent Bernie Sanders as the new standard bearer for progressive policies.

These policies, which are resonating with enthusiastic crowds, include federal investment in infrastructure to create jobs; a higher minimum wage; paid sick leave; higher tax rates for the rich; campaign finance reform; a tougher line on trade accords; subsidies for higher education; and further reforms to guarantee health care for all, among others.


“While Warren is the champion who inspired this movement, the draft effort was never just about her — it’s about her message and the values she represents,” Erica Sagrans and Charles Lenchner wrote last week in a blog post on CNN. “Bernie Sanders has caught fire in a way that’s reminiscent of the draft-Warren movement itself — from the Internet to town halls in Iowa, Sanders has captured the imagination and support of people looking for a real progressive challenger in the 2016 Democratic primary.”

more at link

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. I sure hope so. nt

[Kalidurga]

2. He has already stunned her into talking like Elizabeth Warren ~ Bill Maher

I paraphrase of course.

[SmittynMo]

3. I personally think Sanders over Hilliary

will be worse than when Obama beat her. This is a completely different ball game this time around.

Just look at the candidate and what he stands for. Have you ever seen anyone like Bernie? Nope!!! I didn't think so.

[sabrina 1]

13. I agree. I think he has already stunned Hillary. Now he has Warren's supporters, AND today he got

the VT Teachers Union endorsement. They will now be campaigning for him nationally, AND providing money for his campaign. They are planning to encourage the NH Teachers to endorse him also, AND the National Teachers Union where they plan to wear his t-shirt when they go to the National meeting.

His campaign is going to be one of the best we have seen in a long time. With Obama, though I supported him, I had reservations after some decisions he made, the FISA Bill Amendment eg, and realized we didn't really know that much about him.

Not so this time. Bernie is the candidate needed right at this moment in hour history. He has been preparing for it all of his political career whether he wants the job or not. And imo, he didn't really want it. But there was no one else to stop them, so I believe that Warren and that wing of the party persuaded him to do this for the sake of the country.

[ladjf]

4. My concern is not whether or not Sanders is a great potential President,

it's that I have next to no faith in the judgment of the American voters.

[Nay]

5. I have no faith, either. I plan to vote for Bernie, but I expect most citizens will be

as clueless as usual and vote a Republican in 'cuz we had a Dem for 8 years, it's time for a change.' Yep, time to have your diapers changed, America.

[Baitball Blogger]

6. It would be interesting to see what happens when the mainstream

Last edited Wed Jun 24, 2015, 03:16 PM - Edit history (1)

wakes up to what is happening with the TPP. I don't think most people get it, yet.

[salimbag]

11. Unfortunately

The mainstream of citizens don't vote. And many who do are uninformed, willfully ignorant, and consistently vote against their own best interests. Amazing. It's sad that the corporations have such an easy job manipulating the people.

[SmittynMo]

14. People don't get it

because the 1%, who controls the media, don't want anyone to understand it.

[swilton]

7. Its what's in the numbers

Last edited Wed Jun 24, 2015, 01:08 PM - Edit history (2)

Yes, we all looked with dismay at the headlines sourcing the WSJ/NBC poll that showed Hillary ahead of Sanders - what was it 75%-15%....I searched the source articles diligently until I found the data....Yes, that does happen to be the bottom line.

But the details are telling. The data was collected - I think on 14 June and before....Of those polled, the majority hadn't heard of Sanders....which is telling and points to his greatest weakness. But within that context those having a positive impression of Sanders were greater than those having a negative impression.

The same can't be said of Clinton - her positives vs. negatives were about even....About 40%-40%.....

Wish I could explain this better and had the data in front of me....Outside of the data - it's not rocket science that Clinton has spent a king's ransom on PR - my guess is polling is part of that expense. It is the nature of the science of public relations to spin the candidate in the most positive way and after all, the Wall Street Journal and GE owned NBC are not looking for ways to back Sanders.

It's interesting how this one set of data from NBC and the WSJ are echoed globally - most recently in the Guardian and the Times of India.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/23/hillary-clinton-presidential-election-poll


http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141125860

[PDittie]

8. I believe there are only two things that stand in his way

One of them is not the questionable intelligence of the average voter.

1. He MUST begin to draw minority voters to his campaign and message. He cannot win the primary, much less the general, if Latino and African American voters don't peel away from Clinton. This is her greatest strength; they know her and love her. Hard rock to crack. He can't win the nomination without attracting minority voters. But even if that happens...

2. The party insiders/super delegates/elected officials must be driven back from rigging the game in her favor. Bernie has essentially no institutional support at this moment. And the institution is likely to harden against his bid as he gains additional traction.

The clearest example of this isn't what happened after McGovern was swamped in 1972, or even when Eugene McCarthy got silenced in '68. Go all the way back to when Henry Wallace was pushed out of the vice-presidency for Harry Truman in 1944, and hope history doesn't repeat itself.

[BrotherIvan]

12. Agreed

Well said. I think her support is soft. But it's obvious from her making an enemy of the press that her campaign thinks it has so much money, it will just blanket the airwaves with ads and people will sheeple. Add that to the party being an arm of her campaign, and the outlook is grim. I very much hope I am wrong.

[HereSince1628]

15. Only ~14% of WI voters vote in presidentital primaries...

Minorities could play a very significant role with just a little boost in turnout for the primary, but traditionally they are under represented in primary elections. That does not mean minorities don't participate at all. I can't say anything about how primary participation looks in Texas or elsewhere.

Here in WI a bigger question is women voters, they are somewhat over-represented in primary participation. Sanders will need a majority of their support.

[TBF]

9. Yes if I have anything to do with it -

she is not the best candidate.

[Babel_17]

10. More than that, his victory will stun the pundits

I was watching The McLaughlin Group a few weeks ago and John McLaughlin asked everyone to rate the Senator's chances. It was fairly predictable but McLaughlin went last and gave one of his looks to the group and gave a much higher number.

They're all too close to the daily grind and all they see is the predictability of the process. Remember how the first President Bush lost because he wasn't connecting? This is that, again. McLaughlin has been a keen observer for a very long time. He knows how predictable the system can be. But he remembers the periodic upheavals.

It's going to deer in the headlights time for career politicians when they have to go face to face with the public and defend the one party system's boot to the neck of the 99%.

I think the Republican establishment candidates are in for a surprise when the TPP deal becomes a hot topic. Senator Sanders is going to be positioned extremely well to burn them on that.