Bernie Sanders Pins Hopes for Momentum on Indiana

[brooklynite]

The New York Times:

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont plans to spend Monday campaigning across Indiana, holding three rallies on the final day before the state primary and hoping to pull off a win after a tough week of election losses and campaign layoffs.

A win in Indiana, where Mr. Sanders and Hillary Clinton are in a tight race, could help Mr. Sanders regain some momentum, and an NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll released on Sunday showed them in a virtual tie in the state.

At a rally on Sunday night in South Bend, Ind., Mr. Sanders told thousands of supporters that he saw the state as important to helping him win the nomination. Still, last week, amid staff reductions, he began focusing less on attacking Mrs. Clinton and more on his views for shaping the Democratic Party.

Mr. Sanders, who trails Mrs. Clinton by more than 700 pledged delegates and superdelegates, spent Sunday afternoon urging the superdelegates supporting Mrs. Clinton to his side. He argued that many had given her their support before he entered the race and that he thought those from states he won should follow the voters’ lead.

Just a thought: having lost five of the last six contests (with polling indicating he's going to lose tomorrow), perhaps continuing to do large rallies isn't the way to go?

[Armstead]

1. From Zero to a Close Second against a huge political machine -- I don't think he needs your advice

And what the hell else is he supposed to do on the day before a vote? Make thousands of personal phone calls?

[brooklynite]

4. How about smaller events with actual undecided voters?

Rather than just playing to the cheers of his fans?

[NurseJackie]

5. That's not showy enough. I think it's a vanity thing. He wants ...

... to be SEEN and HEARD (meaning: "listen to me, I know what's best for you&quot rather than LISTENING as Hillary has done.

[morningfog]

7. Oh, because you know whether there are undecideds at his rallies?

Give it up. You are just talking out your ass.

[sufrommich]

2. His campaign isn't reality driven anymore,it's ego driven.nt

[morningfog]

3. We don't need your thoughts or advice. Thanks.

[fun n serious]

6. We don't need yours but hey, here you are and here we are. nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

9. No snark.

Even if he ekes out a narrow win he will fall further behind.

I am trying to think of a sports analogy. Here's one. A football team is down by seventeen points with five minutes left in the 4th quarter. On 4th and 3 from their opponent's thirty yard line they kick a field goal. They closed the gap by three but they actually fell further behind because they didn't score enough points given time constraints to close the gap.

It's a vicious cycle.

[morningfog]

11. Oh, for sure. There is no real path to victory at this point.

Unless something seismic happens, he will not surpass Hillary in pledged delegates and will not get supers to switch without that happening.

But that is no reason to stop holding rallies to spread his message and his platform proposals. There is value to his staying in separate and part from pursuing the nomination.

[gollygee]

8. I think he'll do well in Indiana

But I don't think he'll be able to catch up to Hillary at this point.

[B Calm]

10. We wanted to see him at Purdue last week, but they sold out of tickets minutes

after they were released.

[bigtree]

12. the momentum thing is a ruse

...it's a false hope of supporters, driven by campaign operatives who know better, but don't want to stall the financial engine of their campaign.

That may not be a nefarious as it sounds, because there will be massive debts to cover and a slowdown in support at this point could dry up the resources. Still, there's an expensive leadership infrastructure in the Sanders camp, led by Tad Devine's millions in compensation, which (not so coincidentally) is directing this illusionary end-game.

[rock]

13. In fact, momentum itself is a will o' the wisp

It has no scientific basis. It's predictive power lies in the past., i.e. it doesn't exist. It's a reification.