Vast Majority of Democrats Want Sanders to Stay in Race: Poll

[newthinking]

Despite pressure from party establishment on Sanders to drop out of the race, most Democratic voters want the senator to keep running


A cheering crowd greeted Sanders at a Pennsylvania rally in April. (Photo: Penn State/flickr/cc)

A new poll released Wednesday found that a majority of registered Democrats want presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders to stay in the race.

The national survey of 2,001 voters by Morning Consult found that 57 percent of all Democrats polled want Sanders to keep running, while 33 percent want him to drop out. Ten percent have no opinion.

The findings contradict the pressure from prominent Democratic politicians and centrist pundits on Sanders to drop out of the presidential race—some of whom even argue that he's already lost—despite the fact that several states (including delegate-rich California) and U.S. territories have yet to hold their primaries. (Polls also show Sanders and Clinton in a dead heat in California, which votes on June 7.)

The survey also found that a greater share of women registered as Democrats want Sanders to stay in the race than do Democratic men, directly contradicting another popular media narrative that posits that Sanders' support comes largely from men, while rival Hillary Clinton supposedly wins more support from women.

Full piece: http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/06/01/vast-majority-democrats-want-sanders-stay-race-poll

[Gman]

1. Thank goodness this crap is over in less than a week

I can't wait. Tired of this shit.

[katmondoo]

2. Me too, I just want this to end

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

23. After the election

the fight will continue.

[BainsBane]

40. Maybe so

but there will be no doubt then that the fight is against the Democratic Party and its diverse voting base, not for the nomination.

[mark67]

44. Agree 100%.

Great respect for Sanders but he is quickly becoming the Ralph Nader/Ross Perot/Jerry Brown of the 2016 election.

[truebluegreen]

57. The fight has always been against the party leadership,

not the diverse base. But no surprise Hillarians don't get that.

And that fight will continue. Sanders and his supporters are fighting for the soul of the party, if it has one.

[BainsBane]

64. No, it is against the voters

the majority, and the fact you cannot even respond to the question without using an insulting term is indicative of that. I am not even a person to you, just a rude term you throw around to show your contempt.

Sanders entire argument for nomination rests on compelling superdelegates to overturn the results of elections and install him as the nominee against the will of the majority. Sanders argues they should do so because 1) corporate media polls, which he clearly sees as more valuable than the votes of mere citizens; and 2) his supporters, he insists, are more important because they are young and NOT Democrats, compared to Clinton's majority of Democratic voters, largely people of color, women, the elderly, disabled, and other Democrats throughout the country. His argument is premised on the idea that some voters are superior to others, that all citizens should not share equal voting rights because some are just better than others.

Sanders has even said he will continue to fight for the nomination if he LOSES California, something that would exclude him mathematically. The rules for nomination are established, 2383 TOTAL delegates of all kinds. Now if he had a majority of earned delegates or even the possibility of winning a majority, that would be a different situation, but he doesn't. Clinton will pass both of those thresholds on June 7. She only needs 7% of total delegates for the former and 1/3 of pledged delegates for the latter. She will certainly surpass that, even if he won every state, which of course he will not.

That his argument about superdelegates has shifted 180 degrees from his position about superdelegates earlier in the primary shows how opportunistic it is. That he would actually argue that corporate polls should take precedence over the votes of actual citizens is reprehensible. (The argument itself is based on a false premise, but we'll leave the reasons for that aside for now). We have the championing of corporate media power and efforts to nullify voting rights. We have someone who claimed to be fighting against oligarchy working to overturn the votes of the majority and impose minority rule. That his remaining supporters don't see contradictions in any of that, that they work with him to overturn the results of elections and nullify the votes of the majority show that, at the very least, they see the voting rights of the majority as disposable, so inconsequential as to be ignored in order to bring about whatever it is they think they are promoting--whether just Bernie in power or something broader. Since the candidate has contradicted or abandoned everything he claimed to be running on, I can't imagine what cause is left other than the one he eluded to in the 2014 NPR interview.

His argument about the party leadership is a canard, transparent. Anyone actually involved in the party knows that the delegates and majority of members of the DNC are voted on at the local level, and those representatives in turn vote for the leadership positions. That some argue that the DNC is somehow responsible for Clinton's lead in votes and earned delegates is a cheap excuse, entirely without evidence. That a number of people making that argument have made no secret of their contempt for Democratic voters, as evidenced by their continual denunciations of people who don't vote as they demand.

All Sanders supporters have not gone along with Sanders current efforts. Some cast ballots for him but understanding that he has lost (or will soon have officially lost), are moving on to supporting the Democratic nominee. Their choice didn't win, just as many of us have seen our choices for nominees in previous elections lose. But some refuse to accept that any view or vote other than their own could possibly be legitimate and have decided to work to subvert the democratic process and nullify the votes of the majority. That means attacking my equal voting rights and those of the rest of the Democratic majority, and I damn well resent it. I will also never forget it.

[truebluegreen]

65. "an insulting term"?

This is your take-off point? The fire-starter of your outrage? Really? um, OK.

This conversation will go nowhere, clearly, since you feel attacked and Othered and abased and resentful so I will just repeat my personal take on this quixotic campaign of Bernie's: he is fighting to change the Party, the country and maybe even the world. I regard it as a worthwhile goal and more than that, desperately needed at all levels. You could have spared yourself a lot of typing if you had paid attention to what I said--this isn't about this nomination and election, it is bigger than that. And so it will not end As Scheduled. As for millions of voters being ignored, last time I checked a plurality are independents and so (mostly) don't get a voice at all--do you have a place in your party for them?

If you are happy and comfortable that's fine; content with your choice, fine. Many others are not, and my sympathies lie with them. The world needs a major, Yuuuuge change of course and Hillary will not provide it.

If I seem flippant and dismissive it is because I think we have already lost: our republic, our moral compass, our planet, our way. I think it is already too late. Even so I'll be damned if I will vote for the status quo.

[Buddyblazon]

72. Blah blah blah

You sure do like the sound of your own voice.

I stopped reading after your first sentence and before your long diatribe of self righteousness. First sentence...something about answering a question...

For the life of me I can't see any question you asked that required answering.

[bvar22]

61. Oh, yeah.

You can see this if you look at the photo in the OP.
Nothing but old, white Men.

[mdbl]

62. how old are you?

you call the people in that photo old?

[bvar22]

73. Should have added the "sarcasm" tag,

but I thought is would be obvious.
With the bitter Hillary crowd around, it ID hard to tell the difference.
My age has nothing to do with the observation that there were plenty of old, young, male, female, and Poc at the rally.

It IS a false, but persistent Hillary Talking Point that only old men people support Bernie.

[mdbl]

74. kinda thought that after I posted, thanks for the clarity

[zentrum]

63. Except...

…for the 10 women and 14 men, 2 and possibly 3 of whom are POC.

I can't tell if you're joking or showing HRC supporter myopia.

[J_J_]

3. why should the minority rule the majority?

If Skinner cuts off real democrats, he will certainly lose most of his ad revenue as we will leave and Hillary will fire her online posters as they are no longer needed.

[Gman]

4. Real Democrats? Who the hell makes that decision.

This place will do just fine. Don't worry about it.

[roguevalley]

6. it boggles the mind. shut up and get in line is republican.

Sad.

[MariaThinks]

12. so many tells in 1.5 sentence. 'Real' democrats support the Democratic party. what proof do you

have about Hillary online posters?

DU has done great before Bernie bothered to do anything and will continue after Bernie has slinked out the back door and started to cry about the unfairness of a party he didn't join until recently and why they didn't change everything to hand him the victory.

Seems too close to trump's approach for my liking. Like trump who only donated to veteran's after he was caught in a lie.

[markpkessinger]

60. I believe "real' Democrats support the kinds of ideals Democrats have stood for since FDR . . .

. .. and I frankly don't give a goddamn who supports the club.

[Andy823]

15. Oh give me a break

"REAL Demorats"? Hell the vast majority of this who have been trashing and bashing here on DU for over a year now, are NOT real Democrats, hell most of them are just trolls and trouble makers who come here to trash Clinton, claim to be supporting Bernie so it makes Bernie look bad while they trash Clinton, and their only goal is to get as many gullible people here that they can to stay home and not vote in November.

Real Democrats don't do those kinds of things, and real Democrats will step up and vote to make damn sure Trump never sets foot in the WH. After the 16th those "trolls and trouble makers" will leave on their own or be kicked out because they will never follow the rules. I can hardly wait for that day to come.

[GoneOffShore]

17. Some of us 'trolls and troublemakers' (your words) have been here longer than you have.

And we've been pointing out the weaknesses of HRC-WJC Inc.(Since 1979!) since she carpetbagged her way into a Senate seat and then finagled her way into State.

Stop with the loyalty tests.

In fact, just heard Princeton University professor Eddie Glaude JR.(who is AfAm) on Radio Times suggesting that poor voters vote for down ticket progressives and ignore the presidential race because he thinks that's the only way to get the establishment to listen.

Here's a link to the broadcast - http://whyy.org/cms/radiotimes/2016/06/01/democracy-in-black-how-race-still-enslaves-the-american-soul/#disqus_thread

[azurnoir]

24. some of us? really most of us have been here 10 years or more

[GoneOffShore]

50. Yes there are a lot of us 'old stagers' who have been critical of HRC since we've been here.

[vkkv]

22. Andy823 - I think your comment is beyond simply being wrong. I sense some REAL hate there toward

anyone with a differing opinion.

If they disagree with you - they MUST be TROLLS!!!

[Plucketeer]

37. OH YEAH!

Yeah, I've been on here since '07 and poised the whole time for Bernie to run so's I could use him as cover to dis Clinton. One has to be careful with these designer drugs.

[FlaGranny]

41. I have been a member of

this site since the very day it started up. 2001. Nearly fifteen years. Voted for Bill Clinton, for Gore, for Obama and every Democrat since JFK (my first election). I am a Bernie supporter and I want him to stay in this race until the convention. I will vote for Hillary if I have to. Won't like it much because I do not agree with much that she has done in the past and fear that she will not change and become a real progressive, but Howdy Doody would be a better choice than Trump.

[Buzz cook]

29. No true Scotsman would support Hillary Clinton

/sarcasm

[BainsBane]

34. The majority have voted

in actual elections and caucuses, and that majority vote is precisely what Bernie and his remaining supporters seek to overturn. Clearly the target has become equal voting rights and electoral democracy itself. That anyone could justify such a thing is incredibly disturbing. It certainly isn't leftist, liberal, or progressive.

As much as Bernie and co. think corporate media polls take precedence over actual votes, the constitution and Democratic Party rules still allows voters to chose their elected officials by the ballot box.

[dubyadiprecession]

56. BS supporters love those polls..

They don't support the actual vote count afterwards, but they still love em.

[Renew Deal]

35. Ok

Bye

[BainsBane]

45. "real Democrats"

as defined by people who refuse to vote for the Democratic nominee. Whereas the majority of most reliable Democratic voters, people of color, women, the elderly, union members, LGBT, and Democrats across this nation aren't "real Democrats" because they believe in electoral democracy rather than rule by a self-entitled few to impose their wishes over the majority.

A few of those "real Democrats" have confessed to being registered Republicans and Independents. As much as you think Democrat is defined by the reflection in your mirror, it isn't. I means being registered in the party and/or consistently voting Democrat. It certainly isn't characterized by a worldview subsumed entirely to one man's career to the point where they insist the votes of the majority don't matter. That doesn't even qualify as democratic with a small d.

[JDPriestly]

5. Could someone please post a similar picture taken in a Hillary crowd?

I'd like to see the gender and age mix in Hillary crowds.

Thanks.

Does Hillary appear before crowds?

Haven't seen that since Iowa.

[Gman]

9. One thing is very certain

That pic has many more minorities innit.

[JDPriestly]

10. You mean the picture in the OP. You do realize that white people are in the minority in California.

If Bernie wins here, it will be thanks to the majority which is made up of what are referred to as minorities elsewhere in the country.

We are an utterly diverse state.

And you can't always tell by looking at pictures just where people come from.

[Ed Suspicious]

30. I don't think I've ever seen a Hillary crowd.

[Buzz cook]

32. Here ya go

But you could have googles it yourself.

[BainsBane]

38. Here are some pictures

Unlike Sanders, she doesn't devote the lion share of campaign resources to rallies and advertising but instead to organizing get out the vote efforts. Despite his claims of leading a revolution, Sanders underfunds organizing efforts, which is why his California campaign director quit. He also refused to expend resources registering voters in NY but preferred to issue a pointless lawsuit the night before the primary and make complaints about it a cornerstone of his campaign. That may in part explain why she has such a wide lead over him, 3 million votes and counting. If the point were simply to elect the person that attracted the biggest crowds, Justin Beiber or Mylie Cyrus would be president.

Clinton's crowds are far more diverse, as is likewise reflected in exit poll data. They mirror the composition of the Democratic party, which is comprised heavily of people of color, women, LGBT, and union members.

More photos here: http://bluenationreview.com/hillarys-greatest-strength-is-being-overlooked/

[Major Nikon]

7. It's not over till....

[Gman]

8. Best reply I've seen in weeks

[ReasonableToo]

11. I third this. We've collectively screwed up the entire planet. Could be time for ultimate

Etch-a-sketch.

[rpannier]

18. That just about has my vote

Wish I could rec it

[mountain grammy]

28. That's funny!

[myrna minx]

70. Ok, this is my favorite post in I don't *know* how long.

Thanks for making my day!

[nilram]

42. Yeah. Democratic process. Bleh.

[Carolina]

47. Don't count your chickens

[Saviolo]

13. Like him or not:

I think Bernie is good for the Democrats, including Hillary.

In the last few months there have been millions of dollars worth of free advertising thrown at the GOP by the news media because the GOP is more interesting to watch. Their primary was far more absurd, with dick jokes and stupid adolescent nicknames, and the media aired it all over and over because people were amused by it. Either that or they were Shocked! Shocked, I tell you! Either way they were watching. And now Trump's getting the same treatment. He's still absurd, he's still ranting and hooting and hollering like an overgrown child, and the media still wants to give him all that free air time, because the general public wants to see it, because it's entertaining.

So long as Bernie remains in the race, the media can frame everything on the left as a contentious primary, or hotly contested, etc... and like it or not, it shifts units, and the media will talk about it as long as there's still something to talk about. As soon as there's a nominee on the Democratic side of the aisle, it will be officially boring, and the media will to back to wall-to-wall coverage of the latest CAH-RAZY thing Trump said.

So, we have to either keep the Democratic race interesting, or we need to make Trump boring.

[ananda]

14. Sanders is the only decent candidate.

But since he's not a corporate tool ... well.

[Carolina]

48. Exactly

he's not Wall Street Red or Wall Street Blue because he's not Wall Street at all!

[TexasBushwhacker]

25. I agree

As long as Sanders is in the race there is SOME discussion of issues that matter climate change, jobs, education, income inequality. All that's coming from the GOP is Trump's madness and the #NeverTrump GOP who still have NO VIABLE PLANS that will help the 99%.

Once we're on the road to the GE, it will be messy beyond belief. Donald does not "play well with others".

[ReRe]

31. I agree...

... Bernie staying in the race (instead of quitting like Hill wants him to), has done the Democratic Party a great amount of good by keeping Democrats on the air, attracting attention away from DT.

[saidsimplesimon]

59. Saviolo, I agree. The MSM

loves to watch and to provide their prognosis. It is amazing there are people who enjoy watching the small digit rumpft playing the dirty dozens with himself.

[LiberalLovinLug]

16. "The survey also found that a greater share of women registered as Democrats want Sanders...

.....to stay in the race than do Democratic men"

Wow.

Well I always knew women were smarter than men.

Now Hillary can prove that again by bowing out gracefully for the sake of the party.

[Laser102]

20. Um. No.

[Yonnie3]

19. The article goes on to say Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is backed by more of these Democrats.

And while most Democrats prefer for Sanders to continue his campaign, they also back the party’s front-runner, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, over him in the primary. In a Morning Consult survey of 4,002 registered voters taken last week (see toplines and crosstabs), 46 percent of Democratic voters prefer Clinton to Sanders, who was the first choice of 42 percent of respondents.

[shawn703]

21. Yeah, they're just not hair on fire about him staying in like the rest of the establishment is

[jwirr]

26. I absolutely want him to stay in. IF nothing else this primary

has shown the establishment that there a many of us who are sick and tired of what they have been doing. When we get to the convention I want them to see us in all of our power and understand what is going to happen to them and their party if they do not start listening.

They need to take their head out of the sand. We do not want corporations running the country or the world. They do not stand for what is best for either.

Enough DLC/Third Way/New Democrat.

[ReRe]

33. + 1,000

[FlaGranny]

46. Yes!

Bernie needs to stay in to the end, just like Hillary did against Obama. Her staying in did not hurt Obama. Bernie staying in will not hurt Hillary. Bernie needs to get every delegate he can. He needs to show how many Bernie supporters there are and that they are a large enough portion of the party that they need to be listened to.

[Carolina]

49. No, not take their heads

out of the sand; take them out of corporate asses. Turd Way has got to go

[jwirr]

51. +1

[L. Coyote]

27. If the super delegates vote for Al Gore, or Kerry, or even Douglas Fir

we'll have a wide open convention.

[Fast Walker 52]

36. why do Democrats hate America and want Trump to be president???

[Stevepol]

39. One reason Bernie won this poll is the vote counting.

For this poll, human hands and eyes were used to count the votes; in the primary, which supposedly tells which candidate Dems favor, is counted in total secrecy in a black box that is either unverifiable or never verified through audits or recounts. Obviously, caucuses are an exception to this sort of vote counting in the primaries.

[Maedhros]

43. There are mountains of evidence that the Republican establishment used the compromised

electronic voting process to affect election outcomes.

Why would anyone think that the Democratic establishment wouldn't use the same compromised process in the same way?

[Yonnie3]

54. Senator Sanders did not win this poll ...

in the linked article it stated "46 percent of Democratic voters prefer Clinton to Sanders."

Edit: Apparently the article is a work in progress, it now says " ... found Democratic voters preferring Clinton over Sanders by a slim margin of four points."

[bkkyosemite]

52. "The findings contradict the pressure from prominent Democratic politicians and centrist pundits on

Sanders to drop out of the presidential race." OF COURSE THEY DO!

[dubyadiprecession]

53. They want BS to keep running?

Why do they want to keep torturing that poor man? It's a lost cause for him.

[roody]

71. Look at him. He's happy.

The 'torture' isn't harming him.

[Babel_17]

55. Popular as ever with the newer voters we must have

And lol at the idea of people like Brock being able to reach them for purposes of browbeating them into line. Scathing memos and emails! Brutal snark on CNN!

[Chakaconcarne]

58. Add me to that majority....

At this point I am seeing little difference between trump and hillary...

[laserhaas]

68. ^^^^^^ This times 10 ^^^^^

[jillan]

69. I see them equally as bad, just in different ways.

One will destroy our country with wars and wall street bailouts and trade deals.

The other will destroy our country by taking away our rights.

Which is the lesser of two evils?

[lmbradford]

66. ^^^^This

Thats because there is none.

[laserhaas]

67. A...friggn...men