Bernie Sanders: results in Iowa and New Hampshire show the movement has limits

[brooklynite]

Washington Post


A core base of young, liberal and working-class voters inspired by the Vermont senator's calls for a political revolution powered the self-described democratic socialist to an effective tie atop the Iowa caucuses and an outright win in this week's New Hampshire primary.

Yet the early returns show that Sanders's loyal army represents a limited slice of the party, accounting for just over a quarter of the vote in each of the first two states. And one of the central premises of his campaign — that it is built to activate legions of new voters and spur record turnout among young people — has not been realized.

Perhaps more troubling for Sanders are the signals that he is having difficulties expanding his appeal beyond his staunchest backers. Half the voters in Tuesday's Democratic primary in New Hampshire said his positions were too liberal, according to exit polls. He has struggled among older voters, who make up a significant part of the Democratic electorate, and in some suburban areas similar to places analysts say could be key in upcoming races. Critics also say hostility from his fervent followers makes some potential supporters feel unwelcome.

[R B Garr]

1. "hostility from his fervent followers makes

some potential supporters feel unwelcome.”

What an understatement, but a clear message that unity is not a priority or Sanders would be doing more to control this.

[Cha]

5. hmmm

[R B Garr]

9. Hi Cha! Yes, this article makes some very good points.

[Cha]

13. Hey Aloha, RB!

[krissey]

2. Weak numbers in those two state shows us the Sanders is not a strong candidate.

[HerbChestnut]

7. He won the popular vote in both states...

...out of 10+ candidates running...

[krissey]

11. A caucus is his race. He knows the rules. Buttigieg is two delegates ahead. That is the count.

[Stellar]

8. Yep I guess if you ignore that there was one other last time as opposed to five others this time.

With a little help from outside influence.

[R B Garr]

10. Yes, his support has greatly diminished.

It doesn’t matter where that 50% reduction went. It’s still a reduction.

[lapucelle]

3. And there's this from the same article.

Tensions surrounding Sanders's coalition erupted into public view this week when the Culinary Union, the largest organized labor group in Nevada, said Sanders supporters "viciously attacked" it for arguing that the senator's Medicare-for-all plan would undercut the health coverage it has negotiated for its members. Sanders cast doubt on whether his backers were responsible, making air quotes with his hands during a PBS interview as he said, "I don't know who these so-called 'supporters' are."

snip=================================================================================

Even as some allies have sought to broaden his appeal, Sanders has drawn polarizing supporters who have complicated those efforts. There is podcast host Joe Rogan, who has drawn criticism over his comments about gender, race and sexuality. There is Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who booed Clinton at a Sanders event before later regretting her choice. And there is the army of supporters who often go aggressively after Sanders critics online.

[R B Garr]

4. Kick

[Cal Carpenter]

6. Sanders weakest demographic is white males

As with the other candidates, let's see what happens in more diverse states before sounding the alarm.

[Recursion]

12. Sanders has a ceiling, but it is more than any one other candidate will get with 6 candidates (nt)

Last edited Sun Feb 16, 2020, 08:16 AM - Edit history (1)