A Message to Bernie Sanders’ Supporters: You Can’t Handle the Truth

[NCTraveler]

I recently wrote a piece for the Observer offering an exploration of why Bernie Sanders’s campaign appears stalled. My central argument: the Senator from Vermont has been generally unable to build on his impressive summer campaign, squandering much of his momentum. With roughly five weeks before the Iowa caucus, I argued this was good news for Hillary Clinton.

I based these impressions on three pieces of evidence. First, I argued that Donald Trump’s entrance into the GOP primary, sustained position at the top of the polls, penchant for saying often outrageous things and ability to generate media coverage had drawn attention away from the Democratic Primary in general and Bernie Sanders in particular. Second, I noted that national and state polls from Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina indicate that while Mr. Sanders was staying competitive, he was not making up the ground required for him to win. Third, I observed that Mr. Sanders has campaigned less actively since the summer. These all struck me as reasonably evident, if not altogether profound, insights.

Once my article, “Donald Trump is Not the Only Reason Bernie Sanders is Losing, ” was published the feedback started rolling in. A few people who have been around politics for a long time, Tweeted the piece and posted it on Facebook. One good friend who is on the far left of the Democratic Party, made a friendly comment on my Facebook page, where I had posted the piece, telling me I was wrong and that I should #FeeltheBern. That comment was respectful, but it, and a few other similar ones promising me that Sanders will win, proved to be the exception from the many Sanders supporters who are active on social media.

Since the piece was posted on the morning of December 31st, people on Twitter have called me “biased and foolish,” a “Clinton supplicant” who had written a “terribly researched…hatchet piece,” the writer of a “shallow, uninspired editorial,” part of the Clinton “machine,” practicing journalism that is “bad and out of touch,” a “dishonest prick,” and more. None of this bothered me on a personal level; being called nasty names online is an occupational hazard of being a writer about politics today.

http://observer.com/2016/01/a-message-to-bernie-sanders-supporters-you-cant-handle-the-truth/

[Motown_Johnny]

1. Lets see how Iowa and New Hampshire turn out first, shall we?

It is equally probable that it is Clinton supporters who can't face the truth.

We will know in about 5 weeks.

[NCTraveler]

4. Truly no better response considering the article. nt.

[George II]

26. I'm really having a hard time facing this truth:

By the way, if the NH primary goes the way it is today, Sanders will get the same number of delegates as Clinton.

[NurseJackie]

37. Oh, I didn't realize that. I thought NH was a winner-take-all state.

I'm convinced that Bernie is likely to squeak by with a win in NH, but based on the way Bernie's fans appear to be so delighted with his lackluster performance there, I assumed that he'd walk away with the entire thing.

Considering that NH is his own back yard, I'd have expected him to have numbers that gave him an advantage similar to the one that Hillary has in South Carolina. The fact that NH remains so competitive really doesn't look good for Bernie.

[George II]

40. The Democrats don't have any winner take all primaries or caucuses (the republicans have a few)....

....there's a complicated formula in most states though, so it's not purely linear, but they usually wind up right around the voter % anyway.

With Sanders at 48% and Clinton at 46%, chances are they'll split the 24 available delegates, or at worst 13-11 either way. Similar in Iowa, even if it's a very close result (Clinton is currently ahead by 15%, 52-37-5) Sanders and Clinton will get less than half the 44 delegates each. But based on current %, Clinton will get about 24 vs. 17 for Sanders and maybe 1 for O'Malley.

So for the first two states, chances are Clinton will get 36, Sanders 29, and O'Malley maybe 1 or 2. A "win" in either of those two states is only cosmetic, and earns bragging points, not a bunch of delegates.

[NurseJackie]

43. Thank you ...

... This is good information. I was thinking that it was similar to the electoral college.

[SheilaT]

52. That's a very important piece of information.

Perhaps more Hillary supporters are equally misinformed, which might explain why so many of them think she'll just breeze to the nomination.

Back in '08, among the reasons she lost, is that her campaign did not do as good a job of actually getting their delegates selected to go on to the next level. Especially in caucus states.

[NurseJackie]

56. Looking at how dismal Bernie's poll numbers are, and considering that NH and IA aren't ...

... really representative of the country. Perhaps such a misconception among Bernie's fans might explain why so many of them think he'll breeze to the nomination. (Little wonder they cringe so when the subject comes up of Bernie's support among non-whites.)

Actually, though... I'm exceedingly confident that she'll secure the nomination before the end of March, 2016.

[SheilaT]

59. His support is increasing

daily. He's out there campaigning, drawing larger crowds than anyone else.

I will offer this assessment: Since Hillary is basically Republican Lite, if she does get elected, expect the stock market to be significantly lower by the end of her term. And expect her to be willing to compromise Social Security and Medicare. Expect her to go to war and bomb more countries quite cheerfully.

[NurseJackie]

63. Well, try not to worry yourself too much about all that.

You forgot to mention: bumper stickers, yard signs and online polls.

Expect her to go to war and bomb more countries quite cheerfully.

Oh brother! I should have known.




The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

[SheilaT]

64. Good grief.

What a thoughtful, mature, and adult gif. Or whatever that stupid thing is.

[NurseJackie]

65. Not only do our politics differ, Sheila ... so does our sense of humor.

[SheilaT]

66. Mocking others, or attempting to mock them does

not constitute humor in my book. No, wait, it's childish humor, which says a lot about the person who posts such things.

[NurseJackie]

67. I can tell a lot about you as well.

[dpatbrown]

48. Finally, some sense.

The only two "polls" that make any sense is the 1st of February and the 9th. That will set the tone for this campaign. I would think you Clinton folks would understand that, having gone through this in 08. IF Sanders wins those two votes, it's a new ballgame. Throw ALL the polls out the window.

As far as the author's "3 pieces of evidence" are concerned, really?

[Hortensis]

57. Unlikely. True, who "wins" these 2 whitey-white states has

traditionally been very significant, but things are very different in many ways now, including minority activism for just one significant factor.

I just do not see the two largest minority voter groups alone, Black and Hispanic, allowing voting in those very white states to determine our nominee before our candidates have wooed the rest of America. For all the coverage they're getting, people might think Hispanic Americans aren't paying attention, but that would be a mistake.

This is Trump about to have perhaps the most influential Hispanic news anchor on the planet, Jorge Ramos, physically removed from his news conference, saying with marked contempt, "Go back to Univision." Univision reaches an astonishing 97% of all U.S. Hispanic households with television. Approximately 65% of Spanish-speaking households watch the news each evening on Univision.

?quality=80&w=840&h=485&crop=1
(Obviously, Middle Eastern terrorists groups are not the only ones Trump is recruiting for.)

Ultimately, which of our candidates wins most of the minority vote should be far more important than who takes what proportions of the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries.

[dpatbrown]

71. Initial assessment.

I understand the importance of getting those two minority groups, no question. At the same time, I strongly believe that wins there will generate increased attention of Sanders, including the minority groups. I base this on what happen in 08, and that Sanders' message will excite many. But we'll see. I'm sure the Clinton campaign is also aware of this.

[Hortensis]

79. On, absolutely agree winning or even just doing well

in either would gain Bernie real attention. I just disagree it would be "a whole new ballgame.". For just one additional factor, Bernie didn't just lose the " invisible primary," he lost it huge. If you can say someone lost a race he didn't enter or run. I think he's already achieved his initial goals and then some.

[brooklynite]

2. I'd say another notable piece of evidence...

...is the lack of any substantial increase in voter registration by the so-called "disaffected voters" some sanders supporters believe will show up and provide the margin of victory for him.

[NCTraveler]

3. There was the confusion of registering new voters for about the first three months of his campaign.

I think the DNC might have stepped in to help him out.

[brooklynite]

5. Every State Party, and many campaign run voter registration drives...

...I think the key question is, where are these new voters who supposedly want to sign up?

[RoccoR5955]

17. If my results are anywhere near the normal

I got fifty, and didn't try very hard. we got 100 to sign petitions to get him on the ballot here in NY a few days ago.
Now either I live in the twilight zone, or someone is not counting very well.

[jeff47]

11. Uh, no. You got that backwards.

The Sanders campaign was registering voters, and suggested to the DNC that the DNC help register voters so that more people would be registered (and on the DNC's mailing lists).

[NCTraveler]

12. ok. nt.

[George II]

30. The Sanders campaign and his supporters were complaining that......

......"the DNC didn't have any voter registration tables at the Iowa State Fair".

[jeff47]

61. Again, no. But hey, anything to make Sanders look bad, right?

After one of the large rallies out West, the Sanders campaign suggested to the DNC that the DNC put people outside the rallies to help register voters. So that more people could be registered - in the crush of that many people entering or leaving, every single person with a clipboard counts.

You commented that this showed how awful and unorganized the Sanders campaign was.

[George II]

62. That's not what it was. It was in the midst of another long discussion about....

....a Sanders rally and how the DNC was ignoring them. Someone said to the effect "they didn't even have voter registration tables set up at Sanders' rally".

And yes, I commented on it, not how "awful" but disorganized and I believe naive the Sanders campaign and their supporters were.

News flash: the DNC hasn't had voter registration tables set up at ANY rallies - Sanders', Clinton's, or O'Malleys. But the only ones that complained were Sanders supporters.

Sanders and his campaign upper echelon should have conducted "Political Campaigns 101" with his supporters. Anyone experienced in working for campaigns knows that the candidates and campaigns themselves register voters at events. Psssst, that's part of the definition of "grass roots"!

[jeff47]

70. You know, if we hooked up a generator to you, we could get a limitless supply of electricity.

Keep spinning. I'm sure reality will change to fit your story very soon.

[George II]

72. So why don't you look up that post/thread you referred to and tell us what "reality" is, okay?

Until then, with you, I'm afraid we get a limitless supply of Bernie Sanders.

[SheilaT]

50. In Santa Fe the local Bernie group did so well at registering new voters

that the local Democratic Party finally pitched in.

[NCTraveler]

51. Great news. nt.

[SheilaT]

53. More to the point, it was Bernie supporters, not Hillary supporters.

I have seen almost no evidence of support for her here. Our primary isn't going to happen until June, so no campaign is paying any attention to us, and probably won't until after the Conventions.

[NCTraveler]

54. Good point. nt.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

18. In Colorado 60 percent of the calls to independents republicans and unregistered

receive a warm welcome to Bernies callers and say that they will go on line and register and be ready to caucus for Bernie

No enough time and money to see how many really are doing it - we will know in less than two months

This number, for me, is not believable but it is what is reported.

If true, and any significant portion do follow thru, this movement is real and can win.

[brooklynite]

21. No - we'll know today...

Voter registration deadline for 2016 Colorado caucus Jan. 4
Unaffiliated voters must pick sides in order to participate in the March 1 caucuses

In a state where a plurality of voters shun a political label, an important deadline for the 2016 presidential election is approaching at the start of the new year.

The final day to register with a political party is Jan. 4, according to the Colorado Secretary of State's office, and the state's unaffiliated voters must pick sides in order to participate in the March 1 caucuses.

http://www.denverpost.com/election/ci_29316252/voter-registration-deadline-2016-colorado-caucus-nears

[SoLeftIAmRight]

22. plowing thru the data will not be done today and...

who shows up in march will not be known until then

think about it

it helps

[NurseJackie]

6. Bernie will win some states ... just not enough of them. He won't be the nominee.

Since the piece was posted on the morning of December 31st, people on Twitter have called me “biased and foolish,” a “Clinton supplicant” who had written a “terribly researched…hatchet piece,” the writer of a “shallow, uninspired editorial,” part of the Clinton “machine,” practicing journalism that is “bad and out of touch,” a “dishonest prick,” and more. None of this bothered me on a personal level; being called nasty names online is an occupational hazard of being a writer about politics today.

Sounds like a familiar pattern.

[George II]

31. Clinton will have about 75% of the delegates needed for the nomination by March 15.

[NurseJackie]

34. I've often said that we'll know for certain before the end of March ...

... it won't be long now before the unbridled "optimism" of Bernie's fans will have to confront the cold reality that Bernie will not be able to secure the numbers needed to win the nomination.

As soon as Hillary has the nomination secured, I'm wiping-clean my ENTIRE "ignore list". (Yes, it's partly because I believe in second-chances... but mostly, because it will be fun to watch.)

[George II]

35. Nobody seems to be talking about states that have significant minority or urban populations.....

....all we're hearing about are Iowa and New Hampshire, where the populations are for the most part rural and 95% Caucasian (and with relatively few delegates). That is not a cross-section of the American demographics.

He's far far behind in most other states.

[workinclasszero]

88. I agree

[Stellar]

7. LOL...now you know those were fighting words to a Bernie Supporter...

or a Hillary supporter. But, it did get eyeballs on your article.

[AZ Progressive]

8. "You can't handle the truth" can be applied to most human beings

The truth can be an ugly, depressing, and demoralizing thing if you dig deep enough for it.

[Fawke Em]

9. Message from Fawke 'Em to Lincoln Mitchell: Piss Off

Apparently being called nasty names did bother you or you wouldn't have written this.

And, he's wrong about Sanders campaigning less. Apparently, he's only reading the M$M who doesn't cover shit and arriving at this conclusion. Other than Christmas or when he's on The Hill, Bernie has had at least two campaign stops a day for the past several months. That he dropped off a bit after the summer might have something to do with the fact that he has a day job: being a senator.

Seriously, this guy is supposed to be some sort of political correspondent and can't figure that out?

[NCTraveler]

10. You literally disagreed with yourself all in the same paragraph. Impressive.

"And, he's wrong about Sanders campaigning less."



"That he dropped off a bit after the summer might have something to do with the fact that he has a day job:"

[Fawke Em]

36. When did this idiot write this?

He DID drop off just after the summer, but in the past "couple of months" he has been campaigning every day.

If he wrote it three months ago, his assertion would make sense, but it doesn't currently.

[NCTraveler]

38. Love it. Christmas is now summer. Happy New Year!!!!!! nt.

[beam me up scottie]

16. Mitchell sounds more like a whiny petulant teenage blogger.

But given who he writes for that's not surprising.

[anigbrowl]

60. Way to sell your candidate

Every politicians has some rude supporters who makes them look bad. Their inability to manage their own emotional outbursts speaks poorly about their political judgment.

That's not unique to Bernie, I can think of some objectionable HRC supporters on DU as well.

[beam me up scottie]

13. LMAO! Jared Kushner's rag?

Disclosure: Donald Trump is the father-in-law of Jared Kushner, the publisher of Observer Media.

When you go looking for dirt on Bernie you don't care where you find it.

Seriously, The Observer?

And you complain about Goodman at HuffPo?

[Scuba]

27. ^^ This right here ^^ The cognitive dissonance is strong at Camp Weathervane.

[aikoaiko]

14. I'm impressed with Lincoln Mitchell's ability to whine.

Is this common for him?

[bvf]

19. Pretty much.

Consider that, combined with his baseball fetish, and you'd think he's trying to channel George Will.

Just slap a bowtie on him, already.

[aikoaiko]

20. Reminds me of football commentators who say, "Team A is down 4 points and needs a touchdown to win"

and he calls that analysis.

[Gothmog]

15. Good well written article

[Arkana]

23. A Message To Hillary Clinton's Supporters: Please Stop Fucking Doing This,

Do You Seriously Remember Nothing Of 2008

[PyaarRevolution]

25. Get on board.

It's a coronation remember?!

Sorry I couldn't resist.

[Armstead]

24. Yes Bernie is evil and all his supporters are jerks....because a few of them are jerks

Hookay.

[democrank]

29. I`m so proud of Bernie.

Imagine...having this much success, even though the corporate wing and most of the Democratic Party machine is helping Hillary, who has been on the national stage for decades. Bernie has done a terrific job and voters seem to appreciate his straightforward approach and his authenticity.

[Phlem]

32. by: Joel Asa

I think the Sanders campaign clearly infuriates Clinton supporters which is why articles like this which are based largely on conjecture get play. Here is what the article ignores:
1)online metrics show Sanders has much more momentum than Clinton
2) Sanders polls much better among Blacks than he's credited for and particularly well among young Black and Latino people
3) Clinton is plagued by a lot of negative press: Clinton Foundation influence peddling when she was Secy of State, Bill's mischief, ethnic pandering and flip flopping (mass incarcerations, trade, environment)...3) Clinton's history of war advocacy and Wall Street proximity
4) the widespread perception that she is generally disliked and not trusted, in other words just another opportunistic career politician taking big money

Another person with an opinion.

[redstateblues]

47. Sanders campaign infuriates me?

No way. It is a good thing that Hillary is being challenged. It will make her a stronger campaigner. The rest of your bullet points are right off Sean Hannitys show.

[Phlem]

49. "The rest of your bullet points are right off Sean Hannitys show."

First of all they are not my fucking bullet points and your above comment proves where you stand. Yeay Third Way!!!

Der.

[sonofspy777]

33. Want some Cheese

with your WHINE?

[MisterP]

39. man, here's the story RIGHT UNDERNEATH this one

http://observer.com/2015/12/shock-poll-bernie-sanders-is-the-most-electable-candidate-in-either-party/

[stupidicus]

42. that can't be true, because Hillarians have always said he's unelectable

which is why they prefer HC and her far less desirable policy proposals and public record over his.

Oh that's right, if you take their unelectable bs away, the queen has no clothes.

[stupidicus]

41. oh that poor little baby

that probably doesn't know the truth when they see it

maybe the poor thing should focus on the self-praise to be seen in the ""altogether profound insights" to resupply the ego Bernie supporters rightly knoocked outta him

[demmiblue]

44. Unrec for source.

Though I'm sure the Donald approves!

[daleanime]

45. Because there's no reason a democrat might not want Hillary?

[zazen]

46. wait--you published this in a paper owned by Trump's son-in-law?!

[Hiraeth]

89. !

well, a person has to eat ...

[djean111]

55. Awwwww - another Piqued Authoritarian for Hillary Knicker Twist!

We Bernie supporters have been ordered, with good grammar'n'everything, to stop supporting Bernie and start supporting Hillary, and we just continue to be disobedient. Maybe there is a support group for authoritarians who can't handle not being obeyed.

[CharlotteVale]

68. ROFL!

[Attorney in Texas]

58. SECRET MEMO FROM HRC: We MUST declare victory before any voting occurs -- pass it on!

[Douglas Carpenter]

69. EXACTLY!!! The truth is at a similar stage any number of very successful

campaigns had not accomplished as much and were certainly no higher in the polls than Bernie. NOBODY KNOWS HOW IT IS GOING TO TURN OUT!! Was this author born yesterday??

[Number23]

73. It's an old story at this point but that doesn't make it any less true or valid

On DU, I have seen posters that I know full well are undecided or are O'Malley supporters attacked by unhinged Sanders supporters for saying something that merely questions Sanders' policies, votes or chances of winning.

I had some lunatic recently allude that I am a "cannibal" for Clinton or some other such stupidity (the rhetoric is as idiotically hilarious as it is nonsensical). You'd think I'd filled this forum or others up daily with "Hillary RAH RAH" OPs to warrant that type of behavior but that's not even close to what's happened. In fact, every single person who reads/posts in the AA forum knows that I am incredibly "meh" on Hillary and have made that abundantly clear on several occasions. And yet, that never seems to stop the attacks from certain quarters which truly says far more about them than it does about me.

I've noticed that the attacks are PARTICULARLY pronounced on black posters here which is very much in line with the Wash Post article about the attacks on black Twitter and Facebook users by Sanders supporters https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/09/23/on-twitter-bernie-sanderss-supporters-are-becoming-one-of-his-biggest-problems/

So this is all very, very telling. When Trump supporters attack black people, everyone howls. But I've only seen a few Sanders supporters (emulaterloo, joshcryer, geek tragedy, Susan Calvin, randy and maybe a few others) who have been as equally disgusted when the same tactics are used here.

[wildeyed]

75. From the article,

this is a good point:

Sanders could have won the allegiance of some black voters by responding to his supporters’ combative and patronizing comments and distancing himself from them.

I guess this is why the tone of his supporters quickly persuaded me not to support him, even though I was interested in much of what he had to say. He does not appear to be in control of his message. It is either a poor reflection on his leadership, or he actually agrees with them.

[Number23]

76. I kept waiting for him to address it. When Occupy and Thom Hartmann denounced the behavior of

Sanders' supporters, I thought "now he's going to say something. He's going to distance himself from these people and tell them to cut it the hell out."

Seven months later, I'm still waiting. And at this point, judging by the INNUMERABLE articles, blog posts and pieces written on this -- including from black activists, pundits, journalists and just regular black people sick and fucking tired of having their steps haunted on Twitter, Facebook, DU, Kos or wherever -- there is no way he doesn't know this is going on.

[Empowerer]

78. Thanks for sharing this article

[LWolf]

74. Interesting reference.

Who was it, again, who won this contest?

[R B Garr]

77. "Mr. Sander's occasionally unhinged supporters"

Occasionally unhinged? LOL. That's quite an understatement.

Looks like they have quite the reputation

[Douglas Carpenter]

80. unlike the calm and always reasonable Hillary supporters around this place?

There is something called self-awareness, you know. Perhaps it could be helpful to investigate the concept

[R B Garr]

81. I quoted from the article. There are many more vile

quotes there. Bernie fans have made quite a nasty reputation that has been well documented. A beloved Congressman had his Facebook page trashed with hateful comments because he endorsed Hillary. People have noticed these tactics.

I didn't even vote in the 2008 Primary but have been called the most childish names here, and it started with one Bernie fan who looked up the threads I rec'd and threatened me. I hadn't even posted about Hillary yet.

So I have first-hand experience with the irrationality of the BS attacks and how they originate so I can see how articles like this are resonating.

Get some self-awareness yourself!

[Douglas Carpenter]

83. if you honestly cannot see how many Hillary supporters are behaving

that is utterly delusional - and every bit as delusional as the rightwing hatred directed against Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton for that matter. But you can't see that.

[R B Garr]

84. I quoted from the article. I already said that.

The fact that you keep projecting your own personal hangups on to me shows just who is delusional. More lame tactics. Ugh.

[Douglas Carpenter]

85. never mind.. have a nice day

[R B Garr]

86. Same to you!

Double!

[TekGryphon]

82. As someone knocking on doors, I have to agree with his assessment on some of Bernie's supporters.

Let's set aside the many people who aren't that involved with politics, even if they identify as Democrats. Those are the majority of who I meet, and who I'm trying to get to vote, but I don't hold out a lot of hope they'll show up to the Primary votes.

The ones I am confident will come to the primary votes are enthusiastic Democrats. They know issues, they know their local politicians, they know their issues at the federal level.

It is extremely rare that I run across someone who doesn't like Bernie Sanders. It makes my job a lot easier that he's got a great message and a great set of platforms.

The one thing I consistently hear? What a complete turnoff many Bernie Sanders voters are.

They look at them and see people who aren't committed to the progressive movement as a whole or the issues that are important to it. They're obsessed with their one "pet" candidate and they're willing to burn the progressive movement to the ground and let the conservatives win if they don't get their way.

Active and enthusiastic Democrats want to hear about Bernie's ideas and platforms. They don't want to hear wild-eyed conspiracy theories about how evil Hillary Clinton is, and how the DNC is engaged in a massive conspiracy.

[Orsino]

87. Well, fine clickbait, anyway. n/t

[Alfresco]

90. Trump supporters and some of the Sanders supporters are behaving very similar.

[beam me up scottie]

91. And yet it's the op who posted a hit piece from a Trump family source.

Hillary supporters carrying water for Trump's son in law is acceptable now?

[Alfresco]

92. Does not change the facts. Bernie supporters behaving badly. People notice.

[beam me up scottie]

93. Looks like it's Hillary supporters citing right wing sources who are behaving badly.

And people are noticing a pattern, the op posted hit pieces accusing Bernie of draft dodging, being a dope smoking hippie from Vermont, and only caring about money - which is an Anti-Semitic slur.

But do keep throwing stones at those awful Bernie supporters.

[Alfresco]

94. The facts in the article remain. Some of Sanders supporters are resorting to GOP tactics.

[beam me up scottie]

95. Like posting articles from right wing Trump family sources?

Oh wait, that's the op again!

Nice double standard.

But it's okay when you guys do it, amirite?

As long as it smears Bernie who cares where it came from?

[Alfresco]

96. The facts remain. Some of Sanders supporters behave badly. Witness recent PP endorsement.

You can't deny the facts no matter how hard you try to deflect. Own it.

[beam me up scottie]

97. WHOOOOOOOOOSH!

That was the point soaring over your head while you were creating that straw man.

[Alfresco]

98. It's very apparent you can't handle the truth.

[NCTraveler]

99. +1 nt