Thoughts?
I haven't seen the numbers, but I suspect Trump would have a harder time against Sanders because they draw their support from a lot of similar "anti-establishment" voter groups.
That's just my first take on this -- but it's a good question!
I agree the kiddies are only enthusiastic for Bernie, and will not show up at the polls for Hillary.
Bernie harder to beat. He makes no sense, but he doesn’t make your skin crawl. Forget about issues, sense, forget about anything but who makes your skin crawl less. Decision 2016, oh the Humanity!
Still a ways to go for Hillary scandal-wise, so hard to tell.
Depends on the GOP candidate too of course, According to general election polls, most of the leading candidates would beat her (except Trump, Bush and Carson). I believe Sanders does better in head-to-head polls than Hillary.
Worst matchup for GOP, at the link, is Trump vs. Sanders (Sanders +7):
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/2016_presidential_race.html
Frankly, I think Sanders is potentially, not necessarily, the more formidable candidate. Because loony as he may be, he’s at least honest about it. Sanders embodies the anger of Dem voters and could represent their reaction to the deflated promises of 0bama.
I still have not the slightest idea how anyone can support HRC. On one of the exceptionally rare occasions when I watched TV, I saw a load of NH voters explaining why they support HRC. It’s all, apparently, because she’s a female. So I’m told. Her record of unending lies over 25 years is meaningless to these types.
Winning comes down to 2 things.
Who can get people motivated to come out and vote?
Who can get the motivated people to vote their way?
Earned media, TV ads, internet spam and junk mail can only go so far. Any candidate is likely to put his foot in his mouth and hurt himself. Some candidates are more likely to do this than others.
But it can be demonstrated in election after election that the superior ground game of door knockers and in-person contact makes the difference.
Of Republicans, Cruz currently has the best ground game. But to win in November, the Republican will have to have a much better ground game than Cruz currently has.
The Conservative Establishment (Campaign Leadership Institute) argues against reaching out to those who are not already hard-R. But Trump has destroyed the entire curriculum of the CLI. (Others have proved its miscalculations in lesser races.)
Most people are not ideological. They vote based on who appears friendly and their friend. In an effective ground game the door-knocker appears friendly and the voter votes for the door-knocker even if not sold on the candidate.
The Repbulican winner will have to empower the volunteers of every primary contender to reach out to freinds and family and beyond that to neighbors and deliver the vote.
If there are 50,000 friends of primary R candidates in Ohio, then we need all 50,000 knocking on doors. The same in VA, CO, FL.
In the past I’ve been very successful at getting the Hispanic vote. It can be done. It is done by going door-to-door and appearing friendly and a friend. The same is true of other demographic groups. For youth, I suppose the goal is to be the cool, hippest flavor of the month and go viral.
Three things in politics:
Money,
People,
The brains to know what to do with them.
At this point it doesn’t matter. They have to win the nomination first. Things will ebb and flow greatly between now and then, both R and D.
Hillary would be easier to beat.
Hillary. But it depends on the candidates. Trump would be a disaster, and in any case, one third of his primary voters are Dems and would probably vote Dem in the general election.
Also, I suspect Bloomberg is going to run and it wouldn’t surprise me, if the GOP-e throws its support behind Trump (which it will), if we have a third party candidate on the right. Actually, that makes it four parties...
At least Bernie would hammer the bankers.
Bernie is a true Believer. A dead ender. A LaMoe.
He is freakin’ Rasputin.
Not only are they going to have to beat him, they will have to stake him, and decapitate him.
You only have to throw water on Hillary.
Oh, I have no doubt, the Republicans of contention are keeping their powder dry for the General, there is going to be napalm coming her way once the general war starts and the landmines have already been laid. She will not, I repeat, not ever win the General election. No need to open fire yet, keep it, wait for the white of the eyes.
Hillary will be a much easier candidate to defeat in 2016 than Sanders. But both will be defeated. The Republicans have already won. It is just a matter of which Republican.
But there is always the shadow person out there. 1968. All candidates need to, frankly, NOT get TOO close to the public. This IS 1968. It absolutely is.
Biden he would have full media support and the Obama fraud machine
Just have to say Sanders is an admitted socialist and he loses the vote of very one over 50. Hillary can cheat.
I will go with Sanders.
Trump will edge out Biden by a hair.
Leni
Hillary the Liar is a loser. Millions of D’s resent having her shoved down their throats again. Bernie the Red is more credible and a much better campaigner - would be harder to beat tho a good R campaigner should be able to do it.
Can’t discount how the Left always rallies around its candidate come November - we could win a lot more if our side would consider getting out and voting instead of stamping their prissy feet because their own favorite isn’t on the final ballot.