NY Daily News: Bernie Sanders is the frontrunner. Now, treat him like it.

[democrattotheend]

Now that Bernie Sanders has won New Hampshire after basically tying in Iowa, it’s time to finally declare him the official frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States. So let’s start treating him that way.

Bernie skated through 2016 as the anti-Hillary Clinton, and his policy pronouncements were treated as such. If Clinton came out with a real plan to help make college more affordable — with an actual strategy for how to move it through Congress and yes, a way to pay for it — Sanders would respond with a speech about making college free for everyone, no details or plan necessary. If Clinton proposed ponies for every child under 6, Sanders would promise universal unicorns and rainbows for all.

It didn’t matter that Bernie had no idea how to deliver actual results on any of his promises because no reporter or pundit believed he would ever be the nominee, let alone the president. Sadly, the last time we were all convinced of something like that, it didn’t work out that well. The results are in the White House for all to see.

So let’s accept that Bernie is now the frontrunner and that he deserves to be treated like a potential president. How would that change coverage of the Sanders campaign?

https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-sanders-frontrunner-20200212-24c4e6ug6nfhfea7k2own7lcxe-story.html

This may be derided as an anti-Bernie hit piece, but as someone who supported him in 2016 I think it makes some good points. I would like Bernie - and every other candidate - to be vigorously vetted in the primary so we get whatever Trump may throw at the nominee out there early so we see how they respond and so it's old news by the time November comes around. So I agree with this article but I think it applies also to other candidates like Buttigieg and Klobuchar who have been vetted less than Bernie because they are only now rising to the top of the pack.

If Bernie is able to withstand attacks (in general election polling as well as in the primaries) based on quotes from his past praising socialist leaders and based on how much his plans would increase taxes, I'd strongly consider supporting him again (although I might still be hesitant because of how some of his most militant supporters are). So I encourage Bernie supporters to welcome the kind of vetting the article calls for instead of dismissing such efforts as the establishment being desperate to crush Bernie. Ditto for supporters of all the candidates - we should want them all fully vetted now, rather than letting this lawless president abuse his power to do it for us.

[NurseJackie]

1. No he's not.

So let’s accept that Bernie is now the frontrunner and that he deserves to be treated like a potential president. How would that change coverage of the Sanders campaign?

That's an interesting question. I'm sure the most ardent BS supporters would not be supportive of the answers that are likely to be offered.

[emmaverybo]

3. I think treating him like a potential president could give many voters pause. As in YIKES.

Certainly his supporters can treat him any way they want. Dems in the rest of the states that haven’t
voted yet can too.

He has been the frontrunner for how long and based on what? My God, his delegate count is behind an inexperienced mayor of a small town who had no national profile before he ran. We are in flux right now. We do not have to hold an inauguration yet.

[Garrett78]

7. 538, Harry Enten and others all agree Sanders at this point...

...has a much better shot than any other candidate at winning a majority of delegates. Like it or not, he is clearly the frontrunner.

With Buttigieg and Klobuchar, it's hard to see places where they can win going forward. That's why Biden still has a glimmer of hope. But Sanders is definitely the frontrunner at this juncture.

[TwilightZone]

13. 538 has backtracked a bit

538 posted an update this morning that said that their model should be taken with a large grain of salt. They still believe Sanders is the front-runner, but they said the model doesn't accurately reflect the race because of the lack of polls in the next few states. It also shows him winning an average of around 1500 delegates, which would be 500 short of a majority.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/sanders-is-the-front-runner-after-new-hampshire-and-a-contested-convention-has-become-more-likely/

[Garrett78]

18. The same numbers I was seeing last night. 38% chance, while no other candidate is at 20 or better.

Frontrunner is not synonymous with guarantee. It simply means one is more likely than one's opponents to win. To deny Sanders's frontrunner status is just silly.

[TwilightZone]

22. My point was that they're not confident with that number.

If they're not confident with it, it's not really proof of anything including the likelihood that he'll get a majority of delegates. Their numbers, before whatever adjustments they make in the coming days, show him falling about 500 short on average.

He'll probably still have a better chance than the others, but the numbers show him falling well short of a majority for the moment. It's a little odd that "no one" isn't actually higher, considering the delegate figures.

[handmade34]

2. ....

[LakeArenal]

4. May it be done unto Bernie and his surrogates as he's done unto others.

[TexasTowelie]

10. I agree.

[DanTex]

5. How can people really claim he's not being vetted?

The socialism thing? We've got Chris Matthews talking about hangings in Central Park. The taxes? He gets asked about that in every single debate, and so far no debate moderators seem to understand that "taxes" and "premiums" are both money out of people's pockets.

Combine that with the fact that there's an army of WP and NYT columnists writing anti-Bernie stuff daily.

[Demsrule86]

24. That is a love tap...what Trump has by all accounts is devastating.

[Laelth]

6. Mayor Pete has more pledged delegates. n/t

-Laelth

[murielm99]

8. We need to repeat this as often as necessary.

[Laelth]

20. No, we don't.

Pete's doing just fine where it really matters. I don't need to tweak the noses of the Bernie people. If they want to declare victory when they lost (Iowa) or when they tied (New Hampshire), more power to them. The delegate count speaks for itself, and there's still a long way to go yet. Pete has momentum, and I am thrilled. I am happy to let this all play out in good time.

-Laelth

[Garrett78]

11. But where does he win going forward with his alienation of Black folks and lack of infrastructure?

Frontrunner status is about more than the present delegate count. It's about looking forward.

[Laelth]

16. I hear you. Here's what I predict.

Pete will come in 2nd or 3rd in NV. It'll be Bernie, Biden, Pete or Bernie, Pete, Biden. That will be good enough to keep Pete's momentum going. Then in SC, Pete will come in 2nd behind Biden. In all likelihood, he will be much closer to beating Biden than we expect. That SC near-win will carry Pete into Super Tuesday with incredible momentum, and then we shall see what we see.

Bill Clinton grabbed the nomination in 1992 with a string of early, 2nd place finishes. Pete's got a 1st place finish (Iowa) and a tie (New Hampshire). His campaign is in great shape.

-Laelth

[Garrett78]

23. 2nd in SC would be shocking. 2nd in NV would be pretty surprising, even given his momentum.

[Laelth]

31. I am pretty confident calling a 2nd or 3rd place finish for Pete in NV.

Out of curiosity, why do you think a 2nd place finish for Pete in SC is unlikely? Is it Pete's alleged inability to connect with African-American voters? If so, I think you are in for a shock. African-American democrats want to beat Trump, and that concern will override any and all concerns they may have about Pete's history with various South Bend employees. That said, if Pete does come in 3rd in SC, it will be due to Bloomberg's current surge. It appears that African-American democrats are even willing to forgive "stop-and-frisk" so long as we can beat Trump.

Thank you for the response.

-Laelth

[oasis]

9. It about time!

[Callado119]

12. Nope

[yaesu]

14. it's too early to declare anyone a front runner but makes good press. nt

[beastie boy]

15. I find it hard treating Bernie as a front runner when Trump and Republicans don't.

I guess this puts me in complete agreement with the article, albeit from different perspective.

[democrattotheend]

19. That's exactly why we should

Trump seems to be going easy on Bernie right now because he thinks he'd have an easier time against him (unless it's a fakeout because he's actually scared of Bernie, but I don't think so). Either way, since unlike Biden, Trump isn't attacking him the way he will if Bernie is nominated, we (or maybe some outside groups) need to do it ourselves and see how he holds up. Ditto for all of the candidates. We know how dirty and lawlessly Trump will play, so I say get all the dirty laundry out in the open now while we still have choices.

If the Reverend Wright crap had first come out in October 2008, Obama probably wouldn't have survived it. Obviously it was nonsense, trying to hold him responsible for things his pastor said, but it was really effective for a few weeks before he dealt with it and people had a chance to process. The best thing we can do for our chances in November is to get everything out during the primary so that it's mostly old news by the time Trump brings it up.

[beastie boy]

34. Good point

I never figured out how to deal with Bernie before he may get the nomination. Doing Trump's job when Trump declines to do it seems like a rational way to approach it.

[Beringia]

17. MSM is falling over themselves, pointing out how Buttigieg is really close or Klobuchar is "Surging"

Instead of saying, Wow, Bernie is #1 so far.

[LanternWaste]

21. Super Tuesday will determine the front-runner.

Until that day, the title lacks weight and any real relevance in much the same way the first three dozen yards in the NY Marathon lacks indication of the outcome.

[krissey]

25. "Won NH after tying Iowa". Buttigieg got two more delegates in Iowa and tied NH.

[samnsara]

27. i bow down to NO man!

[Miles Archer]

29. That's a little premature.

I'll treat the candidate like the candidate and will vote for them in November. If it's Bernie, he'll get my vote. If it's someone else, they'll get my vote. On February 12th, I'm not declaring anyone to be anything other than candidates vying for the nomination. Everyone's in until they're out.

[democrattotheend]

35. I think you might be missing the point of the article?

The point was that the frontrunner usually gets the most scrutiny from the press and other candidates. We definitely saw this in 2008 - Hillary received the most scrutiny in 2007 and the beginning of 2008, but once Obama pulled ahead the media started asking him tougher questions and vetting him more seriously (hence the Reverend Wright crap, for example).

The author's point is that Bernie was never heavily scrutinized by the media in 2016 because Hillary was usually ahead and nobody expected Bernie to do as well as he did. We can quibble about whether Bernie should be considered the frontrunner right now, but I don't think too many people disagree that he has a serious chance of getting the nomination this year. So he deserves more scrutiny than he got in 2016. As someone who supported him in 2016, I actually agree with that, though I imagine many people who support him this year disagree.

As a non-Sanders supporter, I'm guessing you'll probably agree with most of the article.

[Mike Nelson]

30. I'd rather have Democrats vet...

... than Trumpublicans. I see how people can call Bernie the front-runner, but Pete has earned that title, too.

[msongs]

32. not interested in joining a messianic cult looking for a savior, thanks tho nt

[Me.]

33. I'm Down With The Gloves Off Approach

No more velvet ones