Sanders Lost Delegate Battle, but Won Narrative War - HuffPo

[WillyT]

Sanders Lost Delegate Battle, but Won Narrative War
Dave R. Jacobson - HuffPo
03/16/2016 08:24 pm ET | Updated 11 hours ago

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These are just a select few topics that, without a Sanders candidacy, there wouldn't have been a conversation around. Had he not ran, Clinton would have been a general election candidate with a center-focused message from the get-go. Sanders changed all that and will no doubt leave a lasting impression on a possible Hillary Clinton Presidency, the Democratic Party as well as its agenda for years to come.

Plus, Sanders isn't done.

In spite of the extreme improbably that he'll ever be in a position to catch up to Clinton on the delegate front, Sanders' campaign is still very much alive and can continue to compete from a message perspective. Given that he's out-resourced Clinton in this campaign, the odds are that he'll stay in this race until the California primary on June 7th. Such a move will help to further anchor Clinton to the left and force her campaign headfirst into the Democratic Party's convention talking about these same populist issues.

Accomplishing this feat will effectively superglue Sanders' populist agenda to much of the Party's platform at convention. It may also bleed into the Clinton campaign's calculus as they determine who to pick as a Vice Presidential nominee. Rather than solely focusing on choosing a purple state candidate, finding someone who also possesses similar liberal leanings and screams authenticity may very well become part of Clinton's V.P. selection strategy. Such a tactical move for the Democratic Party's ticket could help bolster Clinton's appeal and help her tap into the Sanders base as she heads into November.

While the cold hard reality may not have fully set in yet, even though Sanders' campaign is claiming that his performance last night blew away recent polling which showed him far behind Clinton, the fact remains that she won all states that voted yesterday. As a result, this latest setback puts Sanders too far behind to catch up in the delegate battle. Despite losing this battle, however, both Sanders and his supporters have served as a meaningful vehicle for change this cycle, and they will continue to do so in the months ahead. Their effort has transformed this election, and should Clinton prevail in November, Sanders and his groundswell of supporters will have changed the course of history forever.

The Rest: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-r-jacobson/sanders-lost-delegate-bat_b_9482302.html

[peacebird]

1. Someone should tell the author that Bernie is in this to win it! And we will fight on!

To the nomination and beyond!

[upaloopa]

2. Yep those Bernie naratives like social justice!

Oh wait BLM had to teach him what social justice is.

[Ed Suspicious]

6. "OK. Back to the issues."

[Lizzie Poppet]

16. Their vastly different reactions to BLM protesters says it all.

And it certainly makes the AA* preference for Clinton all the more baffling...

* Well, liberal blacks, anyway. I completely understand that Bernie's too liberal for a good part of the AA electorate. Their choice of the center-right Democrat makes sense (given how transparently racist the one-time party of Lincoln has become).

[merrily]

8. Bullshit. He's known what social justice is since he was a kid.

And he also knows it's not about pandering.

[HooptieWagon]

12. Social justice, like Sanders fight in '63?

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Or do you think the fight for social justice only started when you turned 18?

[Lizzie Poppet]

13. That may be the most ridiculous post about Bernie I've ever read.

And that's one hell of a high bar...

Bernie has forgotten more about social justice than any BLM activist knows. Oh, they're getting there, and more power to 'em, but they're taking baby steps. Bernie's run a fucking marathon...and is still going.

Shillary? Depends on what her focus groups say...

[HooptieWagon]

15. Consider the source...nt

[Lizzie Poppet]

17. Good point.

One must adjust expectations accordingly...

[WillyT]

18. You Must Have missed This:

Why Hillary Clinton Doesn’t Deserve the Black Vote
From the crime bill to welfare reform, policies Bill Clinton enacted—and Hillary Clinton supported—decimated black America.
By Michelle Alexander - TheNation

Link: http://www.thenation.com/article/hillary-clinton-does-not-deserve-black-peoples-votes/

[Cali_Democrat]

3. At least Bernie supporters are finally starting to admit defeat.

That's the first step.

[merrily]

9. In your Third Way dreams.

[DanTex]

4. Good for him. He can go on to be president of Narrativia.

[merrily]

5. He ain't lost shit.

[ViseGrip]

7. Even progressive outlets depend on $$. The Nation as well is turning to Bernie got people involved.

That is when you can spot the propaganda, when they all pile on, when THEY want to say he's finished. Funny way of bringing people together....anything to stop the democratic process this time, will not keep the new voters drawn in. What a shame this cycle has been.

[seabeyond]

10. Last count, Clinton has 2.7 million more votes. The narrative is simply not true.

[djean111]

11. Hillary would laugh merrily, and for quite a long time, at the thought that she has been pushed or

dragged or whatever, to the left. Anyone who says she has been actually moved to left is either delusional, naive, or busily blowing smoke up asses.

[artyteacher]

14. hes lost both now. eom