"The Sanders Panic -- Democrats are loath to face their real problem"

[Attorney in Texas]

Link to The Sanders Panic -- Democrats are loath to face their real problem; excerpt:

One of the few liberal pundits not in a full-blown panic is Jeet Heer of the New Republic. “There is no reason to panic,” he insists. “After all, the Democratic primaries were much nastier in 2008, and yet the party won the White House.” Of course no one remembers that far back, so Heer offers a history lesson:

The problem in 2008 was the racial tinge to [Mrs.] Clinton’s last-ditch defense: that Obama was a doomed candidate because of his alleged inability to win over white voters. On May 8, she argued that “I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on,” and cited an article whose findings she summarized thus: “Senator Obama’s support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me.” The contrast between Obama’s base of black voters with the “hard-working” white Americans supporting Clinton, made on the eve of a primary in West Virginia, carried clear racial overtones. . . .{Mrs.} Clinton’s rhetorical strategy of insinuating that Obama was too black to be president was echoed by her campaign. . . . Perhaps the most disturbing comment . . . came from Hillary Clinton herself, who in late May 2008 justified staying in the race by saying, “We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California.” This came after months of worry that Obama, as the first black candidate with a serious shot at the presidency, would be a target for assassination. Two weeks later, on June 7, she finally suspended her campaign.

There’s no reason to panic at all. After all, it’s not as if the Democrats are about to nominate a candidate with a history of saying racist and disturbing things. Oh, wait. Uh-oh . . . To be sure, nobody will remember the things Mrs. Clinton said in 2008, unless perhaps Trump uses them in a campaign ad. True, Heer just reminded us of them, but who reads the New Republic anymore?

The trouble is that Mrs. Clinton is, was and ever will be a dismal candidate. “The conventional wisdom holds that Trump’s astronomically high disapproval numbers should make him unelectable,” Robinson writes. “On paper, this should be a cakewalk for any Democrat with a pulse” (metaphor alert). ... Still, if any Democrat is poorly positioned to beat Trump, Mrs. Clinton is. ... As the Weekly Standard’s Chris Deaton sums up:

The former secretary of state is viewed negatively by 61 percent of registered voters in a new Fox News poll, up from 58 percent in March. Donald Trump, on the other hand, has a 56 percent unfavorable rating—dramatically better than his 65 percent measure in March—and a 41 percent favorable rating, the first time he’s cracked 40 percent in that measure. . . .
Other highlights from the poll include:

• {Mrs.} Clinton is viewed as more corrupt than Trump, 49 percent to 37 percent;
• Two-thirds of registered voters think Clinton (71 percent) and Trump (65) percent will say “anything to get elected”;
• and more registered voters say Trump is a strong leader than they do {Mrs.} Clinton, with 59 percent saying the designation describes Trump and only 49 percent saying it describes {Mrs.} Clinton.

If the election were held today, a large number of voters would regard it as a contest between evils—a contest that, according to the poll, Trump would win narrowly, 45% to 42%. Of course voters could come to see one or the other candidate more favorably—likelier Trump than Mrs. Clinton, we’d venture, since they’ve known her for decades but are still getting used to the idea of him as a politician.

[tonyt53]

1. Polls in May for a November elections are useless. Absolutely useless.

[Attorney in Texas]

3. This is the mantra you want to repeat to yourself over and over again when you feel the panic rising

[CrowCityDem]

9. Let's be honest. Romney led Obama at this point in 2012. How accurate was that?

[Attorney in Texas]

12. It was no cause for optimism. Polling is not destiny but it is a current report card on the campaign

and Hillary's campaign is not getting good marks.

[NurseJackie]

11. Ah ... more of that, eh? If someone refutes, they're "worried". If they're silent, they're "afraid".

If someone replies with a different opinion, they're "panicked" or "being mean" or "attacking" or "gloating".

Good grief!

[Scootaloo]

4. I recall a lot of polls last may about the results for this July.

I guess usefulness depends on whether your candidate is ahead or behind in the polls cited

[Yurovsky]

2. And one more thing...

She's just not very likeable.

[tblue37]

5. She's likeable enough. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

The fact remains that the people who know her best are absolutely devoted to her, so I imagine her presentation difficulties as a politician are just the awkwardness of a naturally private woman whose discomfort in public performances has been made much worse by 3 decades' worth of relentless smears and attacks by what really is a vast right wing conspiracy.

She is simply not a natural politician like Bill. She is a policy wonk, the sort of person who does the detail work behind the scenes. Nor is she a righteous firebrand like Bernie (whom I support, BTW). She is a measured, focused policy wonk. When she has to perform as a public politician, she often does come across as either too hot or too cold, even arrogant sometimes, but I don't believe that is what she really is like--or evidence that she actually is unlikeable.

After leaving the Clinton administration, George Stephanopoulos, who had already begun to criticize Bill's behavior, was asked in an interview how he felt about Hillary. He said that he would crawl across hot coals for her.

A person who can provoke that sort of loyalty must have a lot of good qualities, even if she comes across a bit awkwardly when campaigning.

[Fawke Em]

7. That may be some of it, but I think most people don't like her because they believe she's corrupt.

[Attorney in Texas]

8. 71% think Hillary will say anything to get elected. Holy shit that's a high number!

[Raster]

10. Crawling across hot coals is probably a regular Friday night for Stephanopoulos.

Nothing to see here.

[Fumesucker]

17. If she's such a great policy wonk you'd think she would get stuff right the first time more often

But her most famous votes and policies have been disasters.

[Progressive dog]

6. Elections by poll before the GE campaigns start

Most Democrats would be panicked if Bernie was going to be their nominee. It's always nice to have a Democratic candidate who thinks Democrats are not Republicans.

[NobodyInParticular]

14. Bernie, not Hillary: The Core Issue

If you are passionately anti Bernie, please don't read this post (because you will be jabbing at it since you won't get the point.)

Why Bernie, not Hillary--

The core reason for perhaps a majority of Hillary voters to support their candidate is that "she is a woman and it is time for a woman to lead the country." I think it is wrong to make gender the deciding factor because there is one of far greater importance: it is the candidate's humanity. In every which way, Bernie is by far the greater human being. How do you decide who is the greater member of humankind? It is the quality of caring for one's fellow beings, and this is something that becomes obvious when watching and listening to Bernie--one sees that he not only greatly cares about people but about other living beings as well. Yes, other qualities also count, but there is nothing more important than love and respect for one's peers on this earth.

[seabeyond]

16. We do not buy into Sanders fairy tales. That simple. Nothing about it is smart, thought thru, doable

[NobodyInParticular]

18. Try following experiment to get a glance at Hillary's character:

Take any youtube video in which Hillary is in a heated debate, turn off the sound and observe her body language, especially her face (sure you can do the same with Bernie) : If one is easily able to discern emotions visibly and is willing to register what is there, one may either find oneself raising an eyebrow or locking oneself into a stance in which Hillary is the epitome of compassionate, decent behavior. When one holds iron-clad opinions, there is nothing easier than to keep one's eyes wide shut.

[seabeyond]

19. I am sorry, but my mommy didn't cause me all kinds of issues. I find your post, .... And breathe.

[Attorney in Texas]

20. Your mommy probably shouldn't let you play on the internet until you get a little more mature.

[NobodyInParticular]

21. There is no independent thinking until the umbilical cord connecting

a never-maturing infant to his/her mommy is cut!