Why Bernie has lost the primary:

[RBInMaine]

1) Was never a Democrat and trashed the party in the past. After being welcomed in, he has continued to trash the party, whining and brooding about non-existent "fraud". Most Democrats are sick and tired of it.

2) Bernie's policy ideas, while good and appealing goals, are vague, over-reaching, very expensive, and politically undoable at least anytime soon. That's just the truth.

3) He's too negative and pessimistic. We have made YUGE improvements since Obama took over. Sure, there's plenty more to do, but continually trashing the country isn't helping. People want some OPTIMISM. Bernie is too much of a downer.

4) Americans want meaningful reform, not a "revolution." Sure people are frustrated, but they also don't want to up-end everything, and they don't want a far-left "revolution." They want progress and meaningful reform.

5) Bernie hasn't put together a real "revolution," which should be better termed as a "movement." He has fewer votes than Hillary and far fewer than Obama did in '08. He has appealed to a lot of young people with large, vague, good-sounding ideas, but it is all rallies and online rants, not a real, longterm, sophisticated political movement. (He could do this going forward, but will he? Will his rally-goers actually be in it for the long haul?)

6) To think he will get YUGE changes made by telling the GOP that he has millions of young people demanding it is naive to the very hilt. Policy-making is MUCH more complicated than that.

****** Bernie himself said at the beginning of this campaign that winning the nomination would be very hard. He understood the complexity and daunting challenge. He has done better than expected and should take pride and solace in that. But it is OVER. He will not be the nominee. After Tuesday he needs to see the reality, endorse the winner, and go full throttle to defeat Trump. If he doesn't, he will go down in history as one of the sorest losers and biggest sour grape eaters in American history. ******

[Demsrule86]

1. Every word you said is true nt

[Warren Stupidity]

2. Why are some Clinton supporters obsessed with

attacking Sanders while pronouncing his campaign over and assuring us that their awful candidate, who might very well lose to Trump, has it all wrapped up.?

Why you so angry?

[randome]

12. Just counters to all the "SHE'S EVIL!" posts.

Sanders' supporters were his worst enemy.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[enid602]

32. Why wait?

I think Hill has an excellent chance against Trump, but she needs to start like last month. Sanders' refusing to concede does nothing but give Hill less time to build her case against Trump. Why drag it out until mid/late July, unless you just want to see our Dem candidate fail at all costs? Unfortunately, that just might be Bern's legacy when all is said and done.

[Warren Stupidity]

51. but if its a sure thing and she has it all locked up, what's stopping her?

In fact she seems to have turned her focus on trump. So really, what is wrong with camp weathervane? Didn't you all get the message? Are you having trouble with the maths? Go attack Trump.

[Ken Burch]

64. There's nothing stopping her from campaigning agianst Trump right NOW

She doesn't need to tack any further right to do that. There aren't any votes available in the space between her current position and Trump anyway.

[uponit7771]

3. 7) Divine and Weaver OPENLY admitted Sanders decided NOT compete in the "southern states"

[BobbyDrake]

4. "he will go down in history is one of the sorest losers and biggest sour grape eaters" Too late.

IMO, at least.

I don't think he gets to just walk away from calling his Senate colleagues "neoliberal" and "corrupt" and "just as bad as Republicans." Not any more. And I certainly don't think he goes back to the Senate as any kind of legislative "kingmaker," as I've seen implied in some articles.

[PowerToThePeople]

5. I agree with this part

Bernie himself said at the beginning of this campaign that winning the nomination would be very hard. He understood the complexity and daunting challenge. He has done better than expected and should take pride and solace in that

.

[NurseJackie]

6. Perfect in every way!

Thank you!

[think]

7. Hillary broke govt rules and lied to the public about doing so. Sidney Blumenthal

Was hired through her CHARITY foundation to provide classified info as part of a rogue operation as SOS. She did so because Obama didn't want Blumenthal anywhere near the State Dept.

Hillary is a disgrace and unfit to be commander in chief

[Alex4Martinez]

20. I can't think of a worse leading candidate since her husband, yet she's worse.

Bill was a charismatic bully, popular with the ladies, friendly with all the wrong kinds of businesses, and willing to put a lobotomy survivor to the death penalty for personal gain.

But at least he hadn't done so much damage to people on other continents as has Hillary as SOS.

She's just a train wreck of a candidate for our party.

It's very sad.

[uponit7771]

61. HRC broke.some rules...like going 46.2 mph in a 46.1 mph zone..kinda rules?

[think]

62. Government rules concerning classified email on an email server that is at the heart of an FBI

investigation.

[uponit7771]

66. oh...ok, she went 47.4 mph in a 46.1 mph zone.... ok... thx

[think]

63. Obama didn't want Sid hired at State Dept. Hillary tried. After that she went behind Obama's back

and hired Sid thru her charity to give her intel. Pretty cool how Hillary got one over on Obama isn't it?

Especially since the whole email fiasco started because Sid's email account got hacked. Oh the Hillarity!

[Fresh_Start]

8. Claiming that everyone in every state involved in the election process

whether Republican or Democratic party is under Clinton's thumb is ludicrous.

Claiming that every democrat or the majority of democrats in any state is cheating is offensive.

People who have been fighting to prevent or limit the GOP damage for decades do not deserve that treatment: they don't deserve the anger directed at them, they don't deserve the accusations, they don't deserve the threats.

[CrowCityDem]

9. It's amazing that Hillary is the only one running on a platform that America is a great country.

[Fresh_Start]

16. every time I hear someone wishing for the good old days

i wonder if they will ever remove their blinders

today, for all its problems, is better than yesterday for far more people
not just people in the US but people around the world

yes, it still has ugliness
yes, it still has obscenities like women being honor killed
yes, it still has moments when you are forced into hopelessness

but there was no age in the past which was better than today on average for the entire human race

[MariaThinks]

10. So true.

Given that, I wonder how many of the supporters were never democratic voters and hence there were the problems at the caucus events?

[Surya Gayatri]

11. ^^^WORD!^^^

"If he doesn't, he will go down in history is one of the sorest losers and biggest sour grape eaters in American history."

[wendylaroux]

13. this is still a mostly free country,Bernie can do what he wants,ignore

it if you can't take it. *you are the one whining*.

[seabeyond]

25. Reasoned people will simply dislike and disrespect the man more and more. Yes, Sanders can do

what he wants. And there are repercussions. Look at people in this thread asking why people are attacking Sanders simply expressing points on why Sanders lost? Sanders continues this course, which you are correct, is his right, then expect more and more people to be disgusted with him. Don't blame them. He is earning it. Because he is doing what he wants.

That is all. It is not going to be everyone else picking on Sanders. It will be Sanders being a poor loser unwilling to accept loss to the first woman president, and an unwillingness to hand over that win, that will turn off a lot of people.

Yes, he can do what he wants. And yes, it will effect how people see him. He loses respect.

[HERVEPA]

33. All the same things could be said about certain Hillary posters. Not mentioning names of course.

[seabeyond]

34. Yes. So what? Point? At the least, the very least, I get that.

[wendylaroux]

37. Bernie is fighting against a corrupt system,that is why there is such

push back.This country has become a oligarchy lite,and why more people

don't see that,or don't care is beyond me. People need help damn it,

and no one but Bernie is even addressing it. And you need to stop saying that anyone

that does not support HC is anti woman, that is dividing people more and just wrong.

[seabeyond]

40. " oligarchy lite". We all agree with this. Sanders is not special. That has been our point, that

you refuse to allow us to be. Ya, we get it. We know it. Hence, being fuckin Democrats and how dare a year of hearing, you are special and we are clueless. Get it? Sander sis not the one though. He has not been fighting again the "corrupt system" and has in fact been a part of it. We do not see the halo, we see the politician, in all his glory.

People need help. Democratic issue, not Sanders to own. " damn it".

We think Clinton is better fit to deliver than Sanders.

Not true that Clinton is not and has not addressed this. You ignore.

I have never never NEVER said "you need to stop saying that anyone that does not support HC is anti woman" I do absolutely have feminist discussion on this primary. Damn straight. And here is a reason I asked to sit at Sanders table, and I was told no. I talk about the Feminist perspective of this race, being a feminist and have the first woman to when a major party. There is a lot fo shit going on. Yet, Sanders and supporters want me to not have that conversation. Again, telling me I am not allowed to sit at the table.

Making the very point I said in May 2015. And Sanders and supporters attacking me, as they were telling me I could not sit at the table.

Same thing with the presidency. Interesting that, right? We sit with teh first woman president as nominee of the two party ticket, ..... and Sanders won't give it up. He will not allow, or trying to not allow Clinton to have her win.

People notice.

[wendylaroux]

49. nothing to be discussed then,at this point anyway.take care.

[seabeyond]

50. You, too. Nt

[TheFarseer]

14. As a Bernie supporter

1. This is probably a big factor.

2. some of his ideas are too much for people. I myself am not really on board with $15 /hr and am not sure about free college. This is a deal breaker for some people I know.

3. You always hear this as part of conventional wisdom. Not sure about this one in this particular instance, but it certainly didn't help that Obama is popular with Democrats and part of the establishment he is railing against.

4. revolution does sound scary. I think Hillary did a good job of saying, "Me too, but I'll do it better" Which Bernie did a bad job of refuting.

5. I think it's pretty standard to be vague in a campaign, but most people hear Wall Street Speculation Tax and have no clue. He also never did a good job of explaining why Trade deals are bad.

6. We'll never find out, but you could very well be right.

I think Bernie failed to make his case effectively in the debates. When asked for specific instances where contributions effected Hillary's vote or policies, he wouldn't answer the question. I look back on that and think that's where he lost.

[hrmjustin]

15. Winning independents by the mrgin he is a great thing.

But in a Democratic Primary self identified/ registered Democrats vote at higher numbers and Sanders struggled to win Democrats all over the nation.


You want to win the primary you have to win a majority of Democrats which he did not do.

[pinebox]

17. A big bottle of NOPE.

1) First off, many Dems aren't real Dems anymore. Hillary can't even support a living wage and universal health care. Bernie does. People > Party and when you get down to the core ideology, Bernie for all intents and purposes is much of a Dem than Hillary and harks back to pre-Carter. The Democratic Party has problems and I'm sorry but nobody is above criticism.

Teddy said it best & you can take this and apply it to the Dem party.



2) Bernie's policies are un-doable but it's ok if we elect someone who voted for the Iraq war which has cost the American tax payers trillions? How many new aircraft carriers will be built under Hillary? Sorry but Bernie's polices are do-able and some of us are willing to fight for what we see as being the right thing to do.



3) Bernie gives us hope. You say he trashes us yet his plans aren't small incremental changes like Hillary's which is a nod to the Republicans with a peace-meal approach. The very people who wish to impeach her on day and have hated her for decades. Bernie wants to make things better, Hillary wants things to stay the same; many people can't afford more of the same and that includes the rising cost of health care which is through the roof. Students under Hillary would still feel much of the same wrath they do today with student loan debt. Under Bernie, they don't. Bernie isn't the status quo, Hillary is.



4) Wrong. People are fed up with politicians and this is why Trump is the Republican nominee. Congressional approval is at all time low. By wide margins, people see politicians today as sell outs. Hillary is part of that exact equation, Bernie is not. This only serves to help Trump in the end because Hillary is so frowned upon by the majority of America. Is Trump? Yes he is BUT the defining difference here is that they've been drowning upon Hillary for 25+ years.



5) You say that "Bernie can't put together a real revolution", yet he is bringing in new people to the political process. Where are the articles saying Hillary does that? There aren't any because she isn't. Stadiums are being jammed pack and people are affiliating as independents more than ever as both political parties bleed members.



6) And you think Hillary will get change when she is under an FBI investigation and help from Republicans who have hated her for decades? Hillary is one of the most polarizing figures in political history in the United States and controversy follows her around like a shadow. Is some of that bullshit? Of course it is but some of it isn't either. Take for example when she freaked out as SOS over same sex couples wanting to change their passports.




As a last word, your first point of how "Bernie isn't a real Dem". Hey Kim Davis was a Democrat too.
My points stand.

[Silver_Witch]

29. You made my heart grow two sizes today!!

Bernie may not win I think however he has started change I have hoped for since the 60's. I am often surprised to realize we failed so badly at bringing change in my generation. We did some good. Here's to the next generation!

[pinebox]

41. Millenials will own this country by 2020

The old guard can say whatever they wish to but they won't have the numbers to stop it. Within the next 4 years we will see massive change happen whether or not Bernie is POTUS and Third Way ideology will be dead.

[Silver_Witch]

59. Fingers crossed that Millenials do a much better job than my generation.

Bernie may not be POTUS, we knew it was a long-shot. Change is all we need.

[pinebox]

70. The country is changing.

[MoonRiver]

18. At this point I don't care what he and his hard core minions do.

I have lost all respect for this man.

[Silver_Witch]

30. Funny I feel the same about HRC. Aside eh?

[wendylaroux]

38. if you can't support this man,that says a lot about you.

and being a "minion" yourself of the "Oligarchy club" ,means just that,

you are a "minion" cause you sure as shit aint a member.

[pinebox]

42. "Minions", eh?

"Bow down you peasants" much?

[oberliner]

19. His candidacy did not appeal to most African-American voters

It is very hard to win the nomination of the Democratic Party with such low percentages of the African-American vote in so many states.

[ThePhilosopher04]

21. Fraud and indys not allowed to vote. Bernie would be blowing her doors off

[apnu]

23. This is the Democractic Primary, not the Indy Primary.

The general election is in November. If indys want to be indy, they shouldn't have a say in party's choices. If indys are so concernd about party politics, they shouldn't be indy, and instead join the party, go to the meetings, and be a part of shaping what the party is and does.

[Cal33]

31. Millions of Indies are Democrats who have left the Democratic Party in disgust, because

of its huge and non-stop shift to the right. Today it's becoming more and more
difficult to tell the difference between a Third-Way Democrat and a Republican.
Both are under the domination of the Corporate Power people.

These Indies left the Dem. Party as a protest. They would gladly come back, if
someone like Bernie would bring the right-drifting Dem. Party to the way it was,
before corruption became rampant in the Dem. Party of late.

Bernie is one of the real, original Democrats. He refuses to sell out for personal
profit.

[pinebox]

43. Sorry but if you have that attitude

then don't expect us Indies to support your candidate and don't come courting us either

[qdouble]

65. Yes, millions of independents base their vote on what random DU members post

[pinebox]

69. You don't get it

Trash us all you want with your stupid rules about the primaries but sorry, don't come begging us to vote for your candidate with ass kissing in a general. That whole mantra is one thing Bernie has exposed

[qdouble]

71. You're free to vote for whoever you want to vote for

but if you post on a board that has a stated mission of electing democrats and continually make posts about how you won't support the nominee, prepare to get criticized.

[pinebox]

72. If you support a Dempublican on a Dem board

Well, likewise.

[seabeyond]

27. Omg. listen to you. If people other than Democrats could vote in the Democratic primary, Sanders

would have won.

[Number23]

67. It's the DEMOCRATS fault he lost!11!! Curse you Democrats for wanting to vote for one of your own!!1

ARRRRRRGGHHH!!!

[seabeyond]

68. Lol, I know, right? To unfair. An universe picking on sanders.

[apnu]

22. Bernie lost because he failed to convince Dems that his policies are their policies

Bernie, from the start, led an insurgent campaign bringing in outsiders to the Democractic party. While it is commendable to bring so many new voters to the party, he failed to get the buy in of already existing party members. I do not mean party leaders and power brokers, I mean the rank and file low level members and average people. Bernie never made an appeal to them. He's behind in every measurment, if he's also gotten on their side, Hillary would be done by now.

[99Forever]

24. If...

... "Bernie has lost the primary" as you have repeated day after day, for many months, ad nausium...


... why is your hair still on fire about him?

[reformist2]

26. From what you wrote, one would never guess that he came within a few hundred delegates of winning.

[Silver_Witch]

28. Way to win supporters for HRC -NOT!

[rock]

35. I was going to say

Because there's not as many chumps in the Democratic party as Bernie thought. But I do like your explanation.

[pinebox]

44. "Chumps"? So let me get this straight.........

Single payer
free college
paid maternal leave
A living wage
Anti-fracking

Supporting those things makes you a "chump"?

I'd say not supporting those things makes you a Republican.

[rock]

47. Believing that Bernie can deliver

makes you a chump. Sorry you had to find out the hard way.

[pinebox]

48. And Hillary can?

Let me remind you of something.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mo-brooks-hillary-clinton_us_5625053de4b0bce3470156eb

Have fun with that.

Hillary won't get a thing done. She is loathed by the majority of America and if you think for one iota that the last 8 years has been bad with obstruction, you haven't seen a thing yet. You now have a possibility of the person which Republicans hate THEE MOST being POTUS. And yet you think Hillary will get things done?

The only chump here is those who don't understand things outside their little bubble.

[rock]

54. The GOP?

Is this the same GOP that has continually tried to shut down ObamaCare? Incidentally I do agree: "The only chump here is those who don't understand things outside their little bubble."

[pinebox]

56. The same GOP who shut down the Gov't? Who has the majority?

Ya that GOP

[Hiraeth]

36. Why I finally put you on Ignore.

[Gothmog]

39. Imagine Bernie Sanders wins the White House. Then what?

Sanders' plans for adopting his proposals depend on these new voters. Here is how Sanders thinks that he will be able to force the GOP to be reasonable http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/2/21/1483791/-Imagine-Bernie-Sanders-wins-the-White-House-Then-what

Bernie Sanders has made some very big promises when it comes to his legislative priorities: He says he’ll make college free, pass a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, and institute a generous single-payer national health insurance program. And when he’s asked how he’ll turn these promises into reality, he says that he and his supporters will help bring about a “political revolution.”

That’s a phrase Sanders uses often, but what does he mean by it? Sanders has said that if he wins the presidency, his victory will be accompanied by a “huge increase in voter turnout”—one that he thinks might end Republican control of Congress. But Sanders acknowledges that the House and Senate could, in spite of his best efforts, remain in GOP hands come next January.

Given that likelihood, Sanders offers an alternate means for achieving his political revolution. He says he knows that a Democratic president can’t simply “sit down and negotiate” with Republican leaders and forge a series of compromises. Anyone who's observed the GOP’s behavior over the course of Barack Obama’s presidency would not dispute that, and in any event, no compromise with Republicans would ever lead to single-payer anyway.

So what then? How would a President Sanders get Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan to pass any of his big-ticket items? This is the model he proposes:

What we do is you put an issue before Congress, let’s just use free tuition at public colleges and universities, and that vote is going to take place on November 8 ... whatever it may be. We tell millions and millions of people, young people and their parents, there is going to be a vote ... half the people don’t know what’s going on ... but we tell them when the vote is, maybe we welcome a million young people to Washington, D.C. to say hello to their members of Congress. Maybe we have the telephones and the e-mails flying all over the place so that everybody in America will know how their representative is voting. [...]

And then Republicans are going to have to make a decision. Then they’re going to have to make a decision. You know, when thousands of young people in their district are saying, “You vote against this, you’re out of your job, because we know what’s going on.” So this gets back to what a political revolution is about, is bringing people in touch with the Congress, not having that huge wall. That’s how you bring about change.

The rest of the DK article debunks that concept that Paul Ryan or Mitch McConnell could be influenced by these new voters but we never get to this issue and Sanders himself admits that he will not bet elected without this revolution. So far we are not seeing any evidence of this revolution. Again, Sanders's whole campaign is based on this revolution and so it is appropriate to ask where these new voters are?

It is hard for me to take Sanders' proposals seriously including the ones you want to talk about unless and until we see some evidence of this revolution.

Again, where are these millions and millions of new voters?

[aikoaiko]

45. Are you now saying Bernie will be the reason HRC wins or loses to Trump ?

If so then you're admitting what a shitty candidate HRC is in the general.

If not then let him play out the primary and accept that it is HRCs responsibility To defeat Trump.

[DrDan]

46. I think number 5 is the key - he put together a campaign to appeal to millenials

("free tuition", "revolution", "oligarchs", "corporate welfare", etc), but did so not realizing they just do not show up at the polls

[ForgoTheConsequence]

52. He was polling in the single digits when this started.

And now Hillary is hanging on by a thread. To say his supporters aren't showing up is idiotic.

[DrDan]

53. lol - ok then . . . actual votes would certainly say otherwise . . . but if +3M means

"hanging on by a thread", so be it

[beachbumbob]

55. He lost simply because Hillary beat him..Few people know his background

Especially his followers...

[davidlynch]

57. Hillary supporters seem to love false premises: Bernie *hasn't* lost so conclusion is invalid n/t

[Agnosticsherbet]

58. He didn't win enough votes from Democrats.

[Garrett78]

60. He simply didn't have the support of the party's base.

Most notably POC and women. Not nearly enough of the base at any rate.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511906129