Coping strategies when your candidate is losing in polls.

[cosmicone]

As poll after poll after poll shows that one's candidate is losing, it gets to be very frustrating.

Following are some ways in which one can cope with the relentless trauma.

1. Find more on-line polls to vote in. Vote repeatedly. This will not only pass the time but will reassure yourself that your candidate is winning by an overwhelming margin. Don't get discouraged when a corporate shill editorial board doesn't pick your candidate despite winning the online poll by a landslide. Use the opportunity to attack corporations and media.

2. Back at DU, write another OP about how the scientific polls are outdated and old technology. Give various reasons to show why online polls are the most accurate. Feel wonderful that 100+ people have recommended your thread, proving that you simply couldn't be all that wrong. Granted several dozen such threads already exist, but many people tend to forget so another OP can't hurt.

3. Read all the OPs that point to right-wing smears against the candidate who is winning all the scientific polls. Recommend those profusely and write supporting posts.

4. Go to right-wing sites and dig up writings critical of the candidate leading in scientific polls. Once your emotions are feeling the right amount of angst, post those articles with gusto and not be bothered one bit that some readers might be rolling their eyes. World Nut Daily or The Daily Caller are useful to find such information, not to mention the perennial favorite "Fox News." Debate fiercely with any posts that are ridiculing the OP relentlessly. One useful debating point is to claim that it is simply "a discussion of issues" and there is absolutely no intent to smear the opposing candidate. Make sure you keep a straight face while debating.

5. Follow H.A. Goodman and find every sentence of his writing against your opponent. Post those writings as new OPs but make sure you remove all references to Goodman's love of Ron and Rand Paul.

6. Vehemently deny that any of your fellow supporters are actually libertarians or worse, voted for Reagan!

7. Administer another DU poll to reassure yourself that your candidate is actually leading. Then pretend that the whole universe is just a scaled-up version of DU. This works best.

8. Blame the establishment every chance you get. Remember to inform people that your candidate, despite having served in congress for a long time is NOT establishment but is a newcomer.

9. Proudly tout the precious few bills sponsored by your candidate over decades that actually became law as "landmark legislation" that changed the face of America.

10. Reassure yourself that your candidate's problem is simply name recognition and as soon as people hear the name, the polls will reverse. Don't be discouraged when people ask "how can your candidate win the online polls without name recognition?"

11. Blame billionaires and oligarchs for everything from the moment you wake up till you fall asleep. If you slip on ice, remember, that is what billionaires want - not because you were looking at your phone while walking on the sidewalk.

12. Bumper stickers: Have faith that they are an extremely reliable indicator of who will win. Get in your car and drive from say Rapid City, South Dakota to Spokane, Washington. Count the number of bumper stickers for your candidate and then gleefully report them with an OP. This is great for boosting morale.

13. Yard signs: They are almost as important as bumper stickers. Take another drive through suburban streets and count the number of yard signs for your candidate. Make sure you don't injure any pedestrians or bicyclists while doing so. Report the number of lawn signs in GD-P. This also elevates the enthusiasm for your side.

14. Unskew the polls: Consider that 98% of millennials are supporting your candidate. Then assume that the scientific polls are undersampling millennials by 30% .. and voilá, your candidate is suddenly surging. Have a beer or glass of wine after posting that result in GD-P.

15. Parse the polls: There is always a sub-segment in the raw data that is favorable to your candidate. You just have to find it and post a GD-P thread that shows your candidate is winning in the subgroup of say, Virgos and Libras. Or, in another poll, it may show that all 6 feet or taller left-handed people support your candidate by an 8% margin. Your fellow supporters must absolutely know about these facts to keep them going.

16. Start a copycat thread. When any criticism is leveled at your candidate, start another OP - just replace the name of your opponent with the name of your candidate and vice versa. This has a significant feel-good effect. In fact, if one such thread doesn't make you feel warm and fuzzy, start three or five such OPs.

More strategies to come as the need for them is sure to keep increasing. Until then, drink plenty of fluids, have well-balanced meals and exercise regularly. This helps keep blood pressure in check.

Don't forget the obligatory bouncies!

[leftofcool]

1. Post of the day! Love it!

[SCantiGOP]

104. Post of the week

[NurseJackie]

2. A work of art! Suitable for framing!!

Excellent!

[workinclasszero]

25. Good breakdown of DU

On its current status as the Bernie Underground

[lunamagica]

3. Bravo!!!

Copycat thread coming in 5..4..3..2...

[wendylaroux]

11. no,no copycat thread here,

just want to remind you all that your candidate does not care about the poor in this country.

She only cares about winning,nothing else.

Please try harder with your bait posts.

[lunamagica]

15. You are so wrong...

Hillary Clinton’s record proves she believes that every American should be able to earn an equal day’s pay for an equal day’s work. As a Senator, Hillary Clinton introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act and was an original cosponsor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

In the Senate, Hillary Clinton supported increasing the minimum wage and voted repeatedly to protect and increase it. She was an original cosponsor of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, and authored the 2006 and 2007 Standing with Minimum Wage Act to tie Congressional salary increases to an increase in the minimum wage.

As a Senator, Hillary Clinton supported progressive tax policies that required millionaires to pay their fair share. She opposed the Bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003, and she supported a variety of middle-class tax cuts, including tax credits for student loan recipients, and keeping in place the tax cuts for those who make under $250,000 a year.

Clinton has said “that inherited wealth and concentrated wealth is not good for America,” and she has consistently voted against repealing the estate tax on millionaires, doing so in 2001, 2002, and 2006.

Hillary Clinton supported working families going through difficult times through no fault of their own. In the Senate, she was a bipartisan leader on fighting to extend emergency unemployment benefits.

Hillary Clinton knows that tomorrow’s shared success starts with today’s child, and her dedication to children began long before she ever entered public office. In fact, her first job out of law school was for the newly-formed Children’s Defense Fund, an organization she would later chair.

Hillary Clinton has worked to increase health coverage for millions of children in low-income and working families through the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, a program she helped created as First Lady. In the Senate, Hillary Clinton looked for ways to strengthen the program, introducing bills to allow states to expand it.

Hillary Clinton has worked to expand access to early childhood education for children of lower-income families. As First Lady of Arkansas, Hillary Clinton introduced her husband to the HIPPY program, which expanded early childhood education to economically disadvantaged children. In the Senate, Clinton partnered with Kit Bond in an effort to expand voluntary full-day pre-K for children from low-income families.

Today, as part of the Too Small to Fail Initiative to improve the health and well-being of children five and under, Hillary Clinton is working to close the “word gap” for kids in low-income families who often have smaller vocabularies than their classmates.

[JaneyVee]

18. And has a 100% rating for protecting Social Security.

[Betty Karlson]

39. As a senator, as a candidate in 2007/2008, and as

recently as 2013, Clinton thought I should not have equal rights. Now she cannot tell us what changed her mind.

That leads me to suspect the polls indicated she'd be completely unelectable if she kept denying my human rights (and it wasn't enough to have paid them lip-service in the U.N. when Obama told her she really had to this time).

She appears to be a follower, not a leader. And if she is a follower, I'd like to know whom she follows (beside landslide opinion poll results and focus groups). Her donor list indicates she'll follow corporate America, big banking, and other creatures of the Nineties.

We followed those once before - and the results weren't pretty. If Clinton was a leader, that wouldn't be a problem. But she's likely to be a follower. And thus, it is a BIG issue.

[lunamagica]

48. did you even read the post? Her work started right after she graduated college. She lead in many

Last edited Wed Dec 9, 2015, 02:59 PM - Edit history (1)

issues that are included in the post you replied to.

She's not perfect. She's human, and she evolved. Sanders supporters say he has evolved on gun control, why can't she?

[brooklynite]

55. Care to share your previous hostile posts against Barack Obama?

[Betty Karlson]

123. No problem. Obama was cynical in jumping back on the fence as soon as he was elected.

Right on the heels of Prop H8 (which he refused to condemn) he invited a known homophobe to deliver the prayer at his inauguration. Insult added to injury.

All through his first term, he and Rahm and the rest of the Third Way took LGBT votes for granted, and thus didn't do anything for the advance of (gay) human rights. When the community complained about it, they were accused of wanting a pony.

The establishment media may have forgiven Obama for his meandering evolvement on gay rights, but I still have a bad taste lingering in my mouth, thinking back to those years. They didn't endear the establishment to me.

[misterhighwasted]

40. Big K & R! I and millions of people know who HRC is.

Some don't want to know the truth.

Sec Hillary Clinton has the supporters & endorsements she has because they know who she is.

Great & thorough post lunamagica.
And that's just a partial list of the brilliant & indomitable Hillary Clinton

INDOMITABLE

Oxford Dictionary

Syllabification: in·dom·i·ta·ble

Pronunciation: /inˈdämədəble

Impossible to subdue or defeat: a woman of indomitable spirit

[upaloopa]

59. The better Hillary is doing the more these kinds of replies show up. I think you are saying to

yourself "my guy may be losing but I and he stand on the moral high ground." Martyrs think like that. I know because I went to Catholic school.

Soon I guess we will find Bernie in the "Lives of the Saints."

[saturnsring]

51. im sure she has nothing to do with the clinton foundation who only serve the 1% anyway

[comradebillyboy]

66. How dare she be associated with a major

charitable organization started by her husband, a very successful Democratic president as I recall. The scandal of it all

[Sheepshank]

68. Are you sure that's who is served by the foundation?

you may want to walk back that untruth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinton_Foundation

[saturnsring]

71. oh, well if it's on wikipedia then i guess i'd better change it then

[Sheepshank]

72. plenty of other links....making untruthful statements doesn't help your cause. n't

[DemocratSinceBirth]

4. I wish I could write as well as you.

Last edited Wed Dec 9, 2015, 11:44 AM - Edit history (2)

I eagerly await the sequel.

As someone who did post grad work in poli sci and actually worked with SPSS data the continual trashing of random sampling polling which is the foundation for much political and social science research makes me sad.

[cosmicone]

12. Unfortunately, most decision-making is emotional

and not intellectual. Evolution has programmed us to make decisions that make us feel good because of the close connection of prefrontal cortex with the limbic system. This is predicated on the fact that what feels good is less likely to be dangerous for a given organism.

Science spends a lot of time and energy in trying to remove the emotional and motivational bias from results and I always feel sad when science is trashed here on DU.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

16. After a while refuting the notion that there is a systematic failing in polling is tiring.

After a while refuting the notion that there is a systematic failing in polling and it's all in one direction is tiring.

[Armstead]

50. I don't like to argue the validity of individual polls but....

I object to the heavily reliance on them....Not just because of Sanders candidacy, as I have felt this way for many years.

Polls are somewhat useful as a general snapshot of where candidates stand overall. And they are obviously useful as metrics for political professionals.

But the problem is that we are replacing elections with polls. Rather than allowing voters to actually assess the candidates and make up their own minds, polls create self-fulfilling prophecies -- and determine which candidates are "viable" and "electable" before any votes have been cast.

And candidates are made eitehr "hot or not" based on relatively tiny changes in percentages, which are perennially shifting. Thios creates artificial races and dynamics.

Trumpsky is a perfect example. His actual popularity is still a minority in the overall GOP field, which is only a portion of the overall electorate. But he did well in early polls of a small segment of the population, and now -- as a result -- he has totally overshadowed all of his competitors who, realistically, are more qualified and have more appeal to the majoriet. (yes they're Republicans, but you get my point.)

[VanillaRhapsody]

111. Right...

All of those mounting polls are all just lies

More coping mechanism! Thanks for providing the point

[MaggieD]

5. OMG - nailed it!

#16 is my favorite. For some reason the phrase, "I'm rubber, you're glue....." occurs to me whenever I see this phenomena in GDP. LOL!

[NCTraveler]

6. Green bouncies and caps lock!!!!! nt.

[firebrand80]

7. Pretend You Know Something That the Polls Aren't Showing

Say something like "Man, you guys really are going to be surprised when the vote happens." This will prompt a like-minded person to chime in with "Shhh, don't tell them, let it be a surprise."

[DemocratSinceBirth]

17. And the alleged systematic failing in polling is all in one direction? /nt

[UglyGreed]

8. .

[cosmicone]

9. Thanks for the kick n/t

[UglyGreed]

10. Anytime

here's another

[misterhighwasted]

31. haaha. Ok., this is funny & DU true.

Its a veritable snarknado in here


And this Outstanding OP gets it right.

[RandySF]

13. K&R

[mindwalker_i]

14. This is a self-pleasure post

:wank:

[William769]

77. Self pleasure is not a taboo anymore. In fact it's encouraged!

[mindwalker_i]

82. Usually people don't leave their jizz all over the place when they do that

Don't get me wrong, self-please is just fine. But like religion, it shouldn't be forced on everyone else.

[Cha]

89. You sound oh so rudely bitter.

[William769]

90. Must eat a lot of lemons

[Cha]

91. Something.. Very sour grapeish, too..

[mindwalker_i]

134. Just pointing out a fact

Yeah, borowed a bit from the Rude one. Bringing facts that don't agree with the pre-ordained conclusion that Hillary is who we should all vote for is a dangerous thing to do.

[Cha]

136. No, you just sound bitter.

[mindwalker_i]

137. I sound bitter to you

It's been clear for many moths that Hillary supporters live in a different world than most here. What I see regularly is many different indications that Hillary is winning. There is no discussion of issues unless it's to say "Hillary supports that too," such as with her recent position on for-profit prisons. The OP is all about how, again, Hillary is winning and other peoplez haz a sad.

This makes is seem very much like support for Hillary is religious. You "believe" in her and take a lot of pleasure in things that support your belief. Just like people of religions take pleasure from being with other people who believe the same, or they feel compelled to point of things that support their beliefs even when those things are cherry-picked.

Believing in a god is really the easy way out: one can look at something they don't understand and chalk it up to their god rather than having to think about it or do experiments and build a real explanation. The other problem is that faith leaves them and their children open to abuse by officials of their religion. Similarly, belief in Hillary is easy, but it leaves you blind to the positions she's taken that are damaging. Support for the Iraq war and the TPP are the most prominent. Like with religious faith, you leave yourself open to abuse.

Also, just like with faith, my arguments are very unlikely to have any effect on you. My arguments are, well, arguments based on observations and deductions that come from those observations. Your position is one of faith, which doesn't require thought of deliberation. Just as I won't convince you, I can't accept you faith and so you won't convince me.

So posts like this that basically say, "Hillary is winning," are a form of masturbation.

[Cha]

139. Yeah, this is a great OP.. people are hungry for a bit of reality of what's going on.

[mindwalker_i]

140. No, this post is mental masturbation

... and in this form it does cause blindness.

[kath]

118. Yeah, group self-pleasuring.

What's the word for that again?

[mindwalker_i]

138. It seems like all the posts by Hillary supporters are self-pleasuring

They are almost all a variant of "Hillary is winning," although there are a few posts about positions she's recenly adopted - like being against "what she has learned" about the TPP. There is no discussion of actual issues.

[LexVegas]

19. Hang all your hopes on how uncommon landlines are. nt

[VanillaRhapsody]

113. Ohhhhh its all those dreaded landlines

Run away....run away!



Covered by number 14!

[WIProgressive88]

20. Interesting. I've read from so many Hillary supporters that the snarkiness and incivility

so prevalent on DU were solely the fault of Bernie supporters. Threads like this make it abundantly clear that there's plenty of it coming from the Clinton side of things as well.

[TM99]

21. This one posts this kind of shit over and over

until they get an inevitable time out for crossing the line.

Just wait for it.

[Agschmid]

35. Yes rock out to those silenced voices.

Because nothing says democracy like time outs, and flagged for review.

[TM99]

52. Any time outs or flagged for reviews

are our own damned fault.

No one is a victim here.

[William769]

78. Well there was a well deserved timeout today and it wasn't a Hillary supporter.

[rhett o rick]

144. Odd for you to say that here, this OP stands as do most posted by

HRC supporters. And yet it's the HRC supporters that do most of the Alerting.

[Agschmid]

145. I imagine you have some kind of factual data to back that up?

Nah didn't think so.

[frylock]

32. Since jump.

Just do what I do. Bookmark these threads and throw them in their faces when Hillary takes third prize in Iowa.

[cosmicone]

34. I'll add that to the next list of coping strategies.

Thank you!

[William769]

79. You would not beieve the Bookmarks I have for when Hillary is offically the Democratic nominee!

[Thinkingabout]

95. Yes I have lots of reminders also.

[SammyWinstonJack]

38. Most of it comes from the Clinton side of things

[GusBob]

22. Wow!! great work!!!!

K/R

[SidDithers]

23. and boom goes the dynamite...

Great post.

Sid

[Half-Century Man]

28. there was boom?

Okay....boom happened, I guess.

[Skidmore]

24. Sounds about right to me... nt

[DCBob]

26. This is priceless!

[riversedge]

27. oh just do what

this chap is doing--have a grand belly laugh.

[misterhighwasted]

29. #4 and #5 Deserve the "Spot On" Award

I vote this OP for Time PoY award.

[Laser102]

30. Excellent!! I am also happy to see you doing something about all the bugs. Annoying things.

[frylock]

33. Will be fun to see your coping strategies when your candidate is losing in the primary..

again.

[AtomicKitten]

45. +1

[Betty Karlson]

36. And what to do if all the polls in the world don't convince people to vote for your candidate?

Simple: just post more polls. 159th time is a charm, right?

You just don't get it: Clinton isn't found to be trustworthy, and no amount of name recognition will change the minds of voters who don't trust her to do the right thing (not without polls or focus groups telling her she absolutely MUST do it, or lose an upcoming election).

[Coolest Ranger]

37. Off to the greatest page

This was great

[Sunlei]

41. IMO it's always a positive when Our D candidates have loyal & dedicated followers.

I don't feel it's right to play this 'primary game' to smear a particular D candidate or to be divisive of the D party on the backs of other D voters.

[cosmicone]

44. Thank you!

I'll add that to the next list of coping strategies.

[MaggieD]

46. LOL - and then be frustrated as hell that Dem voters don't buy it

[Sancho]

47. A poor craftsman blames their tools

Great OP!! Very funny and very true!

Namaste.

[saturnsring]

49. epic job cosmicone

[Fawke Em]

53. Best Strategy: Ignore the Hillarians here and head over to Reddit to see

what people are actually doing to get new voters to the polls.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SandersForPresident/wiki/index#wiki_frequently_asked_questions
https://www.reddit.com/r/SandersForPresident/comments/3v1mfx/join_the_bernie_light_brigade_and_read_everything/
https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/35621-decembern-holiday-moneybomb?locale=en
https://www.reddit.com/r/SandersForPresident/comments/3vxhha/here_ye_here_ye_i_sir_lancelot_arbiter_of_the/

[kath]

54. Skinner had THIS advice for HRC supporters back in July:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12598186

Excerpt:

The best way to support Hillary is by staying positive. Provide fact-based arguments without pointing fingers at our opponents or questioning their motives. If you choose to criticize Bernie Sanders (and I'll be honest -- I'm not sure it's necessary or productive to do so given Hillary's large lead and the need to woo Bernie supporters later) then avoid divisive rhetoric or insults -- just keep it factual.

DUers are (mostly) well-informed and highly opinionated. Almost nobody is going to have their primary vote changed because of something someone posted here. But it is very possible to drive a wedge and make people who support other candidates resentful and angry. We will need their support later. We are ambassadors for Hillary Clinton -- we need to embrace that role and be the best ambassadors we can be. Stay positive, don't get dragged into the mud, ignore people who bring nothing positive to the discussion.

How's that working out for you guys??

[cosmicone]

57. The OP doesn't mention Hillary or Bernie

Also, the intent, of course, was to lighten the mood. All sarcasm has a kernel of truth. Do you recognize those kernels in the OP?

[NurseJackie]

65. That's true ... a very skillful post. But,

... it's interesting to note which candidate's fans are most "offended," or which ones appear to most closely identify and relate to the points made in the OP.

[Cha]

93. Exactly, Jackie. I'm not offended in the least. You?

[NurseJackie]

96. I am not. :-)

[Logical]

149. LOL, you are snarky and rude and then try to act like you are not. nt

[upaloopa]

62. Wonderful

You could learn something from Skinner.

[Alfresco]

56. Outstanding post on so many levels.

[KMOD]

58. Brilliant, cosmicone.

[William769]

60. Spot on!

[stevil]

61. LOL!!!!

17. Place a well timed comment that you will not be voting anyone but your favorite candidate in the general election even if your candidate doesn't win the nomination. Mention you will write in your candidate for bonus points. You don't have to worry anymore about getting your comment hidden and it will boost your credibility at DU.

[cosmicone]

64. One has to worry about flyswatters with that strategy. n/t

[JoePhilly]

63. Lol

[Dawson Leery]

69. 5, 7, & 11!

The rest are all true, but those three stick out.



Shame on anyone around here that would use Breitbart/Redstate/WND, etc to attack Hillary.

[ismnotwasm]

70. Yup

And--keep criticism as simple as you can make it, with NO room for nuance or analysis that might accidentally lead to improved knowledge of political affairs.

[Sheepshank]

73. #8 is da bomb.

but really everything on your list is observable.

[Alfresco]

74. DU Post Traumatic Therapy

[MaggieD]

75. This deserves another kick!

[Truprogressive85]

76. why you mad

If your candidate is winning , why the concern about the opponent

enjoy the race

[msrizzo]

83. Who's mad?

More like funny.

[betsuni]

80. K&R

[Hekate]

81. You FORGOT the use of Caps Lock in the SUBJECT line of the OP

The green bouncies are all right. Good post.

[Number23]

85. You just handed 2/3 of this board their asses on a platter

Absolutely 100% classic, especially the bit about people pretending to be liberals when they voted for Reagan.

But you forgot to mention "enter a thread that shows a candidate winning by 20+ points and announce that said candidate is doomed and that their supporters are "going to be blindsighted."

Also, "Post pictures and threads that show your candidate trailing by 30 points as proof as the invisible legions of supporters that the 8729 national polls conducted every week just haven't gotten to yet."

And my personal favorite, "after spending months slamming, maligning and dismissing the black community, its icons, and a now well known pro-black rights movement that included calling its participants "thugs," "Soros funded pro-Hillary shills" and "subhuman," clap like mad fiends every time one of their members says something nice about our candidate!"

I just love that last one the best. It's not transparent or pathetic at all.

[William769]

86. +1000!

[Number23]

87. :o)

[Bobbie Jo]

92. So much this!

[Number23]

98. I had to resurrect my prediction from five months ago in another thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=889023

The one where I predicted in JULY that after polls showed that Hillary has 80% support in black and Hispanic communities, that this board would be BLOWING UP with endorsements from black and brown people for Sanders. That no endorsement would be too small or insignificant.

I had to dig it up for that thread about "rap legend" Bun B endorsing Sanders. If Bun B had endorsed ANYBODY ELSE running for president, it would have never been posted here. Never.

[Bobbie Jo]

101. Oh you called it alright

I remember it well.

However did you know?...

Everyone should read these links, seriously.

[MohRokTah]

88. Thank you for risking a hide by posting this. eom

[TSIAS]

94. 11 hrs later, no hide.

Paranoid much? Typically Hillary supporter codswallop, but no reason to hide.

[betsuni]

102. It was alerted on about ten and a half hours ago. 3-4 leave it.

[stevenleser]

130. Shows you what the current climate is on DU. That should have been 7-0 to leave

No one was identified in the OP so it's not a personal attack. There is no over the top language and no other hideworthy content.

[seabeyond]

99. For sure. And a kick. Nt.

[lumberjack_jeff]

97. The polls that matter haven't happened yet. There's nothing to cope with yet except rhetoric. n/t

[Persondem]

100. Best post of the year. I really hope a certain few DU-ers give it a thorough read. K & R nt

[Kalidurga]

103. You put a lot of effort into this congrats.

1. Find more on-line polls to vote in. Vote repeatedly. This will not only pass the time but will reassure yourself that your candidate is winning by an overwhelming margin. Don't get discouraged when a corporate shill editorial board doesn't pick your candidate despite winning the online poll by a landslide. Use the opportunity to attack corporations and media.

Meh, online polls are fun. So are the polls of grade school children and college projections. But, none of those things matter in the primary.

2. Back at DU, write another OP about how the scientific polls are outdated and old technology. Give various reasons to show why online polls are the most accurate. Feel wonderful that 100+ people have recommended your thread, proving that you simply couldn't be all that wrong. Granted several dozen such threads already exist, but many people tend to forget so another OP can't hurt.

Polls are paid for by people that can afford to throw money at polls. Of course they have a bias. So what, people who vote based on how other people vote deserve what they get.

3. Read all the OPs that point to right-wing smears against the candidate who is winning all the scientific polls. Recommend those profusely and write supporting posts.

I am still waiting for the RW smears. A certain candidate is being attacked from the left and the people who do that are accused of being conservatives go figure.

4. Go to right-wing sites and dig up writings critical of the candidate leading in scientific polls. Once your emotions are feeling the right amount of angst, post those articles with gusto and not be bothered one bit that some readers might be rolling their eyes. World Nut Daily or The Daily Caller are useful to find such information, not to mention the perennial favorite "Fox News." Debate fiercely with any posts that are ridiculing the OP relentlessly. One useful debating point is to claim that it is simply "a discussion of issues" and there is absolutely no intent to smear the opposing candidate. Make sure you keep a straight face while debating.

You should alert on those posts. Maybe then people would stop bringing right wing trash to a left wing fight.

5. Follow H.A. Goodman and find every sentence of his writing against your opponent. Post those writings as new OPs but make sure you remove all references to Goodman's love of Ron and Rand Paul.

H.A. Goodman is facile like the toe licker forget his name.

6. Vehemently deny that any of your fellow supporters are actually libertarians or worse, voted for Reagan!

You really want to go here where someone was 30 years ago and likely just barely out of his teens. Seriously you want to go here. That makes you look pretty low.

7. Administer another DU poll to reassure yourself that your candidate is actually leading. Then pretend that the whole universe is just a scaled-up version of DU. This works best.

Are you really this obsessed with other people looking for validation? Nice, I really don't care. Polls sure aren't where I go to feel good about my choices. But, if it works for you, then you go girl.

8. Blame the establishment every chance you get. Remember to inform people that your candidate, despite having served in congress for a long time is NOT establishment but is a newcomer.

I will just save you the trouble Bernie is an insider that has the view points of an outsider, this is why we love him. It isn't because he is working in the system. There are a lot of career politicians I would not vote for. There are a lot of outsiders as well. It's the policies he promotes not whether he is a long time senator or just someone that decided this year to get into politics.

9. Proudly tout the precious few bills sponsored by your candidate over decades that actually became law as "landmark legislation" that changed the face of America.

Okay, whatever. You can ignore the number of foreign committees that one candidate is on and the other, not so much.

10. Reassure yourself that your candidate's problem is simply name recognition and as soon as people hear the name, the polls will reverse. Don't be discouraged when people ask "how can your candidate win the online polls without name recognition?"

He's getting there. Don't worry though Hillary is killing it in the polls.

11. Blame billionaires and oligarchs for everything from the moment you wake up till you fall asleep. If you slip on ice, remember, that is what billionaires want - not because you were looking at your phone while walking on the sidewalk.

Wow, I am glad you are comfortable enough with your privilege that you don't have to worry about the 1% collapsing the world economy.

12. Bumper stickers: Have faith that they are an extremely reliable indicator of who will win. Get in your car and drive from say Rapid City, South Dakota to Spokane, Washington. Count the number of bumper stickers for your candidate and then gleefully report them with an OP. This is great for boosting morale.

How many bumper stickers for your candidate have you seen? Is it a bummer that hardly anyone likes your candidate enough to put a bumper sticker on their car? So sorry that your candidate is only ahead in the polls, but has failed to win hearts and minds.

13. Yard signs: They are almost as important as bumper stickers. Take another drive through suburban streets and count the number of yard signs for your candidate. Make sure you don't injure any pedestrians or bicyclists while doing so. Report the number of lawn signs in GD-P. This also elevates the enthusiasm for your side.

Yay yard signs.

14. Unskew the polls: Consider that 98% of millennials are supporting your candidate. Then assume that the scientific polls are undersampling millennials by 30% .. and voilá, your candidate is suddenly surging. Have a beer or glass of wine after posting that result in GD-P.

Well we all know young people don't vote.

15. Parse the polls: There is always a sub-segment in the raw data that is favorable to your candidate. You just have to find it and post a GD-P thread that shows your candidate is winning in the subgroup of say, Virgos and Libras. Or, in another poll, it may show that all 6 feet or taller left-handed people support your candidate by an 8% margin. Your fellow supporters must absolutely know about these facts to keep them going.

Nah he is ahead with Scorpios and behind with Libras. Virgos though yeah that is so true. Virgos love him so much he has 100% support among Virgos.

16. Start a copycat thread. When any criticism is leveled at your candidate, start another OP - just replace the name of your opponent with the name of your candidate and vice versa. This has a significant feel-good effect. In fact, if one such thread doesn't make you feel warm and fuzzy, start three or five such OPs.

And if you can't convince people your candidate is the best brow beat them amirightoramiright?

More strategies to come as the need for them is sure to keep increasing. Until then, drink plenty of fluids, have well-balanced meals and exercise regularly. This helps keep blood pressure in check.

Don't forget the obligatory bouncies!

[cosmicone]

106. Thank you for your post.

I like your screen name ... being Indian-American and all.



PS: Next time, instead of "you go girl", use a masculine phrase

[Kalidurga]

107. I like you go girl

I use it on my best buds all the time and not one of them objected not even the actual girls.

[Armstead]

105. And strategies if you decide to identify with the presumed frontrunner

Identify yourself as personally successful by identifying with a candidate that was anointed as "front-runner" long before any campaigns even started.

Assume that you are therefore vicariously superior and one of the "cool kids" because you have decided to support one of the 'cool kids."

Therefore also assume that this superiority makes you so much better than those schlub losers who have chosen to support an underdog candidate.

And thenbe a condescending jerk to the unwashed masses because...oh you're part of the elite because you support the elite candidate.

[cosmicone]

109. Almost all Hillary supporters support her because

a) She is the most qualified by virtue of her background, training and experience,
b) She has the ability to get things done,
c) She has detailed and specific proposals on how to address her policies - not just pie-in-the-sky slogans,
d) She has a better record of working with congress as one can see from all her endorsements,
e) She has the ability to raise the $1 billion+ to beat the Republican billionaires,
f) She has been investigated for 25+ years and thus has been immunized against Republican attacks,
g) She has the foreign stature that even President Obama lacked thus he hired her as his SOS,
h) She never attempted to primary Obama in 2012,
i) She is our best hope to get sensible gun control -- maybe in baby steps but she will get there,
j) She has the best race relations and a diverse group of people support her overwhelmingly.

It is elitist on your part to think that we'd just want to be "cool kids" rendering us incapable of independent thought.

If you read my post, there was nothing condescending about it. Sarcasm is always biting because it has a kernel of truth. If you deny the kernels of truth laid bare in my post, you are being disingenuous.

Thank you for your post I have never seen you do anything that my sarcasm exposes. Kudos on that.

[Armstead]

112. Well i did see several yard signs for Bernie I was going to write about

[AgingAmerican]

108. You wrote this op as a coping strategy because she can't win when actual humans are polled

Rather than the corporate 'alchemy' polls you endlessly tout as 'scientific'.

[cosmicone]

110. Meh n/t

[okasha]

119. That was the political equivalent of "Jesus horses. "

[stevenleser]

131. Meh and LOL since mentioned no candidate names in the OP!

Obviously someone identified with the crazy behavior you lampooned.

[blackspade]

114. Another one of these stupid bullshit threads.

This seems to have become a sad coping strategy for you guys.

Or is this another bully the underdog thread? They are all blending together now.

I guess I'll grab the and and enjoy the vaudeville entertainment of the predictable few back slapping and high five-ing each other for their 'cleverness'

[Triana]

115. It seems more important to you

to win a playground fight here on DU - to be King of the snarkfest, than to help elect the President we really need and who will really work for all of us and not primarily Wall St and big corporations and wealthy people.

And just FYI - Hillary will get my vote if she's the nominee. However the President we really need - OUR BEST option right now considering what we're facing as a nation - is IMO Bernie Sanders.

You may proceed with your juvenile snarkfest and your partying and your evidently short-sighted and self-serving priorities now.

See ya...

[coyote]

116. Meh n/t

[Cha]

117. Super Good!

[MaggieD]

120. Rekick

[R B Garr]

121. This is hilarious!

[The Dark Magician]

122. Winning friends and influencing people,huh?

[cwydro]

124. 12 and 13 made me laugh out loud!

Well done.

[Cha]

125. Kicker!

[betsuni]

126. Kick for being hilarious. Thank you!

[orpupilofnature57]

127. Stick to the issues, and remember She is the 1%, and MSM are her employees . n/t

[Cha]

128. 4. Go to right-wing sites and dig up writings critical of the candidate leading in scientific polls.

Once your emotions are feeling the right amount of angst, post those articles with gusto and not be bothered one bit that some readers might be rolling their eyes. World Nut Daily or The Daily Caller are useful to find such information, not to mention the perennial favorite "Fox News." Debate fiercely with any posts that are ridiculing the OP relentlessly. One useful debating point is to claim that it is simply "a discussion of issues" and there is absolutely no intent to smear the opposing candidate. Make sure you keep a straight face while debating."



They're multiplying!

[stevenleser]

129. One candidates supporters accidentally outed themselves in responses to this excellent OP

You deftly included no candidates names in your OP, but some folks couldn't help themselves and identified who was who by their snarky responses.

This OP is up there with the top ten classic DU posts of all time.

[Cha]

133. Agreed, Steven.. and 75 recs so far.. seems more than a few were hungry for this

bit of levity to lighten to mood!

[MeNMyVolt]

143. Completely agree.

This thread is a keeper. Cosmicone is brilliant, and the reply by Number23 made it perfect.

[Koinos]

132. K & R

Enjoyed the humor of your OP, cosmicone. People take themselves too seriously.

One reason I support O'Malley: His self-effacing sense of humor. He can laugh at himself.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

135. When it comes to voting, I ignore the polls, yard signs, buttons, and other advertising.

Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost. John Quincy Adams

[Cha]

141. KICK!

[Alfresco]

142. A Therapeutic Kick

[Alfresco]

146. Therapeutic Coping Kick

Happy Holidays!

[Jamaal510]

147. K&R

[Logical]

148. Why the Hillary dandruff video? What am I missing? nt