The Atlantic: The Clinton Campaign Is Afraid of Bernie Sanders

[LiberalElite]

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/07/bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-threat/397286/?google_editors_picks=true

-snip-
Obscured by the recent avalanche of momentous news is this intriguing development from the campaign trail: The Hillary Clinton campaign now considers Bernie Sanders threatening enough to attack. Fresh off news that Sanders is now virtually tied with Hillary in New Hampshire, Claire McCaskill went on Morning Joe on June 25 to declare that “the media is giving Bernie a pass … they’re not giving the same scrutiny to Bernie that they’re certainly giving to Hillary.”
-snip-

[Divernan]

1. More from the OP link.

The irony here is thick. In 2006, McCaskill said on Meet the Press that while Bill Clinton was a great president, “I don’t want my daughter near him.” Upon hearing the news, according to John Heilemann and Mark Halperin’s book Game Change, Hillary exclaimed, “Fuck her,” and cancelled a fundraiser for the Missouri senator. McCaskill later apologized to Bill Clinton, and was wooed intensely by Hillary during the 2008 primaries. But she infuriated the Clintons again by endorsing Barack Obama. In their book HRC, Aimee Parnes and Jonathan Allen write that, “‘Hate’ is too weak a word to describe the feelings that Hillary’s core loyalists still have for McCaskill.”

McCaskill grew even less effective when Mark Halperin did something TV interviewers too rarely do: He demanded substance. Give “three specific positions” of Sanders that “are too far left,” he insisted. “I am not here to be critical of my colleague Senator Sanders,” McCaskill responded, absurdly. But Halperin caught her, noting that, “With all due respect, you already were: You said he was socialist and not electable.”

McCaskill, in other words, is a great surrogate: someone eager enough to regain the Clintons’ affection that she’ll not only praise Hillary, but also slam their opponents. On Morning Joe, she had two talking points. First, journalists are giving Sanders a pass. Second, Sanders is a socialist, and thus can’t win. Asked about Sanders’ large crowds, McCaskill compared him to Ron Paul and Pat Buchanan, other candidates who sparked enthusiasm among their supporters but couldn’t win a general election because of their “extreme message.”

More intriguing is point number two. Sanders probably would be a problematic general-election candidate. But the liberals flocking to his side don’t much care. Nor are the Clintonites likely to scare off many liberals by reminding them that Sanders is a socialist. Most of them already know. And far from hiding it, Sanders is quite effective when challenged on this point. Right after he jumped in the race, George Stephanopoulos gave Sanders exactly the treatment McCaskill is calling for now. First, he reminded Sanders he was a socialist. Then, when Sanders pointed to Scandinavia as his socialist model, Stephanopoulos snarked that, “I can hear the Republican attack ad right now: He wants America to be look more like Scandinavia.” But Sanders was not cowed. “That’s right. That’s right,” he replied. “And what’s wrong with that? What’s wrong when you have more income and wealth equality? What’s wrong when they have a stronger middle class in many ways than we do?” It was the kind of performance more likely to leave liberals inspired than alienated.

(Quoted exactly - no opinion from me)

[Tashca]

2. Denmark

they went forward to try and relieve three major stresses on nearly everyone. They seem to have achieved it too
1) the stress of paying for an education
2) the stress of paying for medical problems.
3) the stress of worrying about retirement.

Imagine not having those stresses in a persons life. I don't see this as a bad thing.

[Phlem]

3. For some people it's a no brainer.

Then there's the United States population.

Steeped in ignorance, simple messages can't penetrate anymore. If you do live in Denmark, I'm extremely happy for you.

[cui bono]

4. Scandinavia....

EDITED

[CentralMass]

5. People don't have to invent reasons to like Benie Sanders or his message. He supplies

them.

They also don't have to defend, explain, interpret, or make excuses for his stance on the issues, or the words coming out of his mouth. He is a plan speaking man with ideas and a message people want to hear.

[SoapBox]

9. ^This^

[MannyGoldstein]

6. I (stupidly) thought Hillary wouldn't run once Bernie hinted he would

As the article indicates, there's no good way for Hillary to deal with him. Anything she does to attack him will end up hurting her. He's a huge problem for her.

[Demeter]

7. It would take an act of God stop stop Hillary from running

It's her Manifest Destiny....

too bad there isn't another person in the world who agrees with her...(even Bill).

[MannyGoldstein]

8. I had forgotten about the craziness in 2008

When she had lost, but wouldn't withdraw.