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Feeling the Bern
Townhall.com ^ | February 11, 2016 | Derek Hunter

Posted on 02/11/2016 6:57:28 AM PST by Kaslin

Well, that was interesting.

The New Hampshire primary is over and the results were…sort of what was expected. Beyond the headlines, however…

On the Democratic side, and according the Gloria Steinem and Madeleine Albright, there are a lot of young women chasing boys straight to Hell. Hillary Clinton not only lost the youth vote by an amazing margin, she lost young women by so much it has to be a shock to a candidate who considers her gender among the top reasons to support her candidacy.

She lost every demographic except people making more than $200,000 and older than 65. But amazingly, Hillary is doing the worst with people for whom the scandals of her husband's administration are faded memories from their childhood or passing topics in their history classes. To say she has a likability problem is like saying the Titanic had a glut of ice cubes for drinks. The people who know the least of her history dislike her the most.

Hillary threw everything at New Hampshire in an attempt to keep her loss, which was a foregone conclusion, to single digits. Had she lost by nine or less - or even 10 - she would've claimed a moral victory for keeping the margins down against Bernie Sanders that close to his home state. But she was destroyed, beaten by more than 20 points in a race she led by 40 points three months ago.

To put that in perspective, in 2008, in a field of five, Hillary Clinton received 39 percent of the vote. In 2016, in a field of her and an old socialist, she got 38 percent. That's not just spinning her wheels; that's backsliding.

Interestingly, after essentially a tie in Iowa and a rout in New Hampshire for Sanders, Hillary is destroying Bernie in the delegate count. Thanks to "superdelegates," party officials who are free to support whichever candidate promises them the most (and who can promise more than a Clinton?), Hillary has 394 nominating delegates to 42 for Sanders.

Somehow, Sanders, who dominated New Hampshire and likely won the popular vote in Iowa - the state party, led by a Clinton loyalist, refuses to release the numbers - is losing the race for the nomination and badly.

To keep Democratic Party voters from realizing just how undemocratic their nominating process is, team Clinton is pinning its hopes on South Carolina to serve as a firewall against Sanders. More specifically, the campaign and the Democratic Party machine are counting on the black vote to reject Sanders and fall for the Clinton name.

If the black vote can be turned out to vote against a man who was directly involved in the civil rights movement, having been arrested in 1962 while protesting housing discrimination at the University of Chicago (before it was fashionable for suburban white people to be involved with the civil rights movement), she will win. But if Sanders can make inroads with the black vote, even keep it close, the Democrats will have a fight on their hands for which they are completely unprepared.

How can Hillary perform so awfully when everyone in control of the levers of power set the stage for her to succeed? The party limited the number of debates for her and scheduled them at times few would watch. Now we know why.

It turns out even progressive Democrats don't like having their decisions on electoral issues made for them. DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz tried to limit Clinton's exposure to tough questions but in the process created momentum for her opponents.

Former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley was thought to have been Hillary's biggest concern from the left, but he showed all the charm of a department store mannequin. That sent people who wanted to at least explore their options to find Sanders.

The party underestimated just how radical its base had become. After decades of fostering discontent with American society as a weapon against Republicans, the monster the party created has turned against it.

The Democratic Party power structure is just as radical, of course, but did not want that on display. Now it has no choice.

Hillary has to not only attack Bernie Sanders, she has to do so in a way that convinces a large swath of his supporters she will champion the same radical causes and simultaneously position herself toward the center for a prospective general election run. It's a nearly unimaginable quandary for someone who just a few months ago appeared to have to deliver only a tap-in putt for victory.

The biggest problem facing Hillary Clinton is still not Bernie Sanders. Sanders is in an unexpected and enviable position, but the deck is almost hopelessly stacked against him.

Her biggest problem - and Bernie's biggest asset - is herself. Even if she manages to change the paradigm to her favor again and win the nomination, she'll still have that problem.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: berniesanders; election2016
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1 posted on 02/11/2016 6:57:28 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

THE FIX IS IN

Talk of Bernie winning over Hillary is all just Kabuki theater to let the plantation GOMERS think their votes count.

We all know that behind the scenes Hillary is clobbering Bernie in the delegate count.

Thanks to the democrat party’s corrupt system and the “Super Delegates” loyal to the Clintons, the systen is rigged to give Hillary the nomination no matter how many people vote for Bernie in the primary elections.

Hillary has ten times as many delegates than Sanders and there has only been 1 state caucus and 1 state election.


2 posted on 02/11/2016 7:05:49 AM PST by Iron Munro (The wise have stores of choice food and oil but a foolish man devours all he has. Proverbs 21:20)
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To: Kaslin

Someone told me Bernie hadn’t even had a job until age 45, when he ran for mayor and won.

For an old veteran like Hillary to get unseated by this must be humiliating.


3 posted on 02/11/2016 7:06:36 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Iron Munro

Cynical guess or did you get a report?

Bernie is by far the more honest candidate of the two. His proposed politics are atrocious, but he doesn’t sound like he’s lying. He’s just clueless about what a good government would really be.


4 posted on 02/11/2016 7:08:29 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Iron Munro

Personally I’m rooting hard for the whole Democrat party to feel the Bern until they go up in smoke, so to speak.


5 posted on 02/11/2016 7:09:45 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Kaslin
America's friggin' crazy great uncle... don't let him out of your sight...


6 posted on 02/11/2016 7:10:03 AM PST by SparkyBass
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To: Iron Munro

The important thing is to point that out to the Bernie supporters wherever we can.

Last night I sent a couple of them into meltdowns on FB by pointing out that Hillary really won NH, taking more if it’s delegates despite losing by 20 points. The anger over their guy, and movement, getting completely screwed by the Dem establishment was delicious.


7 posted on 02/11/2016 7:10:38 AM PST by tanknetter
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To: Kaslin

The entire Democrat party leadership should be arrested for violating the RICO statute. These people make mobsters look like pikers.


8 posted on 02/11/2016 7:10:46 AM PST by SkyPilot ("I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6)
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To: Iron Munro

Quote: “We all know that behind the scenes Hillary is clobbering Bernie in the delegate count.”

That is the beauty of this. We may all know this but the “freestuffers” who are turning out in droves for Bernie do not. They think he is winning and will be the nominee. They have been conditioned to think that all is well in the dem party and that words like “establishment” and “elites” are words that only apply to the GOP.

Wait until they find out what is really going on. At least we know Jeb! and his ilk are trying to game the system. At least we know what we are up against. These poor fools are about to have the rug pulled out from under them.


9 posted on 02/11/2016 7:12:26 AM PST by FlipWilson
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To: Kaslin

I saw a poll on CNN a couple weeks ago that showed Hilary dominated with women age 35 and older, while those under age 35, she got smoked by Bernie. I guess that mean if you were a teenager or younger during the Lewinsky era then you don’t support her thighness.


10 posted on 02/11/2016 7:14:18 AM PST by chae (The Lannisters send their regards--Game of Thrones)
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To: tanknetter

Wow, if that’s how they work.

While they’re looking across the aisle at Republicans who are bickering over tactics to get caucus votes while actually letting the votes count. And wishing, and wishing, and wishing, their problems were ONLY that bad....

In the end many Bernie-ites may end up going for Donald Trump, believing similarly to what Jimmy Carter did that Donald might give them half a loaf.


11 posted on 02/11/2016 7:14:32 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: FlipWilson

The GOP is actually counting the votes... something that Donald Trump, at least, could point out to the greater audience if he wins the nomination fair and square.

“Look who was squawking in 2000 about counting votes, now look at who actually does it. Do you want a racketeer representative of a racketeering party, or do you want me?”


12 posted on 02/11/2016 7:16:42 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: chae

She’s passed her prime


13 posted on 02/11/2016 7:17:49 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Kaslin

The problem with the Bernie and Rev Al lovefest is that they are coming at each other from different perspectives when it comes to the BLM movement. For Rev Al, it refers to black lives matter while for Bernie it means Bernie loves Mao.


14 posted on 02/11/2016 7:20:16 AM PST by chuckee
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To: HiTech RedNeck

Yeah, the nomination process for the Democratic Party is inherently undemocratic. Stuff put in place after McGovern to prevent the great unwashed masses from actually selecting the nominee.

In my recent experience concern trolling Sanders supporters on various discussion boards, those supporters are clueless about how their nominee will actually be selected, and that thanks to it being rigged Bernie has absolutely zero chance.

And they get really pissed about it.

As the article points out the DEMe is hoping that a big win for Hillary in SC will knock Bernie out while obscuring the rigged nature of their nominating process. So there’s a small and shrinking window of opportunity to use Hillary’s delegate win in NH to cement the Bernie supporters disdain for the DEMe.


15 posted on 02/11/2016 7:23:52 AM PST by tanknetter
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To: Iron Munro

That will alienate many of the Sanders voters. I wonder if they will stay home when they realize they have been told to F-off by the Dem establishment.

How can the Dems claim the “make every vote count” meme.


16 posted on 02/11/2016 7:24:03 AM PST by my small voice (A biased media and an uneducated populace is the biggest thre at to our nation.)
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To: tanknetter

Whereas if Bernie actually charms SC more than Hillary does, the Democrat Lucy will have some explaining to do.

Does Bernie dare actually bring this up?

The trolling is in the attitude, we might kid but we would hope to educate. Their party is so bad that it won’t even count their votes except when it’s convenient. The GOP is still counting votes.


17 posted on 02/11/2016 7:26:39 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: my small voice

They make it by depending on people’s attention span to be about a millisecond.


18 posted on 02/11/2016 7:27:09 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: tanknetter

Come on South Carolina. Feel the Bern. Don’t be shy about it.


19 posted on 02/11/2016 7:27:50 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Kaslin
 photo Bernie Sanders 06_zps9gd3gmxd.jpg
20 posted on 02/11/2016 7:28:44 AM PST by ETL (Ted Cruz 2016!! -- For a better, safer America)
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