Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

What If Bernie Sanders Is the Democrats' Best Bet? Bernie Argues that He's the Most Electable
The Atlantic ^ | 01/12/2016 | David Graham

Posted on 01/12/2016 3:05:16 PM PST by SeekAndFind

If you'd told most Americans a year ago that Bernie Sanders would be a serious threat to Hillary Clinton in January 2016, they probably would have laughed. (Or asked who Sanders was.) If you'd told them that Sanders would be arguing that he was a better candidate than Clinton because he was more electable, the reaction would have been even more incredulous. She was cautious, sure, and a bit more conservative than some Democrats, but surely she was more palatable to voters than an acerbic democratic socialist from Vermont.

That is, however, exactly the state of the Democratic race on January 11. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released over the weekend tells the story. In Iowa, Clinton leads Sanders among likely voters by just three points. In New Hampshire, where he has mostly kept a small lead for months, he's up four. The Sanders campaign blasted out the results to reporters Sunday under the subject line "Electability Matters." Speaking on This Week, Sanders said: "If people are concerned about electability--and Democrats should be very concerned because we certainly don't want to see some right-wing extremist in the White House--Bernie Sanders is the candidate."

That's a remarkable turnaround for a senator who seemed reluctant to run in the first place. Some people viewed Sanders as a candidate out to make a point, not to win an election; even those who hoped he would win believed it was Sanders' sincere, morally clear-eyed stance on inequality and other issues that would win him the race--not that voters would wager he was their best shot at the White House. But it turns out that hectoring tone, disheveled hair, and all, Sanders may be--as Barack Obama memorably said of Clinton in 2008--likable enough.

Clinton, meanwhile, is pulling out various stops.

(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Arkansas; US: Delaware; US: New York; US: Vermont
KEYWORDS: 2016; 2016election; arkansas; berniesanders; delaware; democrats; election2016; hillary; hillaryclinton; hitlery; joebiden; newyork; vermont; wipewater
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-39 next last

1 posted on 01/12/2016 3:05:16 PM PST by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Great!!

http://www.gallup.com/poll/183713/socialist-presidential-candidates-least-appealing.aspx


2 posted on 01/12/2016 3:08:09 PM PST by MMaschin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

” She was cautious, sure, and a bit more conservative than some Democrats, but surely she was more palatable to voters than an acerbic democratic socialist from Vermont.”

The only democrat more liberal than Clinton is Obama. So we will go from the most liberal senator to the second most liberal senator. Heck, Sanders as a Socialist is more conservative than Clinton.


3 posted on 01/12/2016 3:08:47 PM PST by EQAndyBuzz (Jews for Cruz)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: EQAndyBuzz

Joe Biden will be stepping up real soon.


4 posted on 01/12/2016 3:11:59 PM PST by rovenstinez
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: MMaschin

5 posted on 01/12/2016 3:12:59 PM PST by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

6 posted on 01/12/2016 3:13:20 PM PST by Bon mots
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

If he wins that will definitely be the end of America as we know it.


7 posted on 01/12/2016 3:13:56 PM PST by SkyDancer ("Nobody Said I Was Perfect But Yet Here I Am")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
Biden is getting ready to get back in the race.

Hillary is a goner. It'll be Sanders, Joe, and/or Warren.

The Beast has too much baggage.

8 posted on 01/12/2016 3:14:06 PM PST by RoosterRedux (Long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to light - John Milton, Paradise Lost)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SkyDancer
Sanders cannot win. He is popular among millennial children who have no idea how the world works.

Joe will kick Bernie to the curb...and then we'll have a Trump/Biden fight to the bitter end.

JMHO, of course.

9 posted on 01/12/2016 3:17:36 PM PST by RoosterRedux (Long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to light - John Milton, Paradise Lost)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: RoosterRedux

He could win

FREE STUFF


10 posted on 01/12/2016 3:21:02 PM PST by Hojczyk
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
So Democrats favor Blacks over Hispanics by 2% while Republicans favor Hispanics or Blacks by 1%.

Proof Democrats are more racist than Republicans.

11 posted on 01/12/2016 3:21:56 PM PST by The Iceman Cometh (Trump & Cruz - Together, a Better America!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

First they voted against Hillary and voted for Omoron. Now they will vote for Bernie instead of her. They say they will vote for her until they close the curtain and reality sets in.


12 posted on 01/12/2016 3:25:43 PM PST by seawolf101
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

I’d rather have Bernie than Hitlery....I’d rather have an idealist over a democrat any day of the week...democrats are nothing more than elitist who secretly support Wall street and the bankers to the detriment of the common citizens...


13 posted on 01/12/2016 3:25:57 PM PST by cherry
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hojczyk
The free stuff crowd is all high...they will forget when they need to vote.

Obama had them fired up on race...Bernie can't fire them up on anything but crazy gray hair.

They will sleep in and Trump will get elected.

14 posted on 01/12/2016 3:26:06 PM PST by RoosterRedux (Long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to light - John Milton, Paradise Lost)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: rovenstinez
Joe Biden will be stepping up real soon.

It would have been a smart move for him to get into the race.

But this is Joe Biden we're talking about and "smart moves" aren't his style.

Unless things get desperate for the Dems, Joe probably missed his chance.

Bernie is doing well because people don't know that much about him. That's pretty common.

The socialist label may not be the big selling point Bernie thinks it is. It could be hard for voters to swallow.

15 posted on 01/12/2016 3:26:43 PM PST by x
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: SkyDancer

If he wins that will definitely be the end of America as we know it.

_______________________________________________

I think so. A young black Socialist followed by on old white Socialist?

Lose-Lose.


16 posted on 01/12/2016 3:28:28 PM PST by Responsibility2nd (Is Ted Cruz a US citizen? Yeah? Then Shut Up and Sit Down.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Bernie secures the Dem base- and the lying media do the rest.

Judging from history it’s a sure plan.


17 posted on 01/12/2016 3:30:08 PM PST by mrsmith (Dumb sluts: Lifeblood of the Media, Backbone of the Democrat/RINO Party!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
Graham is a Clintonite, so it's vaguely interesting (not really).

The closest thing to a money quote is this:

"That's a remarkable turnaround for a senator who seemed reluctant to run in the first place. Some people viewed Sanders as a candidate out to make a point, not to win an election"

Which is still true and was so painfully evident when he shook Madame Cankles hand after the the droll "tired of hearing about your emails"...neatly proving (a) Bernie ain't in it to win; (a) the giveaway when said "hearing" - ie he never read the first one! if he had he might be surprised at giving away the farm with just a handshake; ultimately proving (c) Bern is just another ancient fossilized Dem technophobe who doesn't know an email from a snail mail.

18 posted on 01/12/2016 3:30:25 PM PST by StAnDeliver (Own it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RoosterRedux

Well the way 0bama got in twice I don’t put it past the electorate to put Bernie in office. And if that happens you can kiss the USA goodbye.


19 posted on 01/12/2016 3:30:35 PM PST by SkyDancer ("Nobody Said I Was Perfect But Yet Here I Am")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: rovenstinez
"Joe Biden will be stepping up real soon."

Agreed BUT it will have to be literally the day after after she loses New Hampshire because he'll be playing catchup viz primary deadlines and having to pry loose her superdelegates.

20 posted on 01/12/2016 3:34:32 PM PST by StAnDeliver (Own it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-39 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson