Bernie Sanders Leads Among Democratic Voters on Who Can Best Unify the Party: Poll

[OliverQ]

https://www.newsweek.com/bernie-sanders-leads-democratic-voters-best-candidate-unify-party-poll-1489131

[TwilightZone]

1. The most divisive candidate is the "unity" candidate?

Sure. It would seem that a lot of people either know nothing about him, aren't paying attention, or are ignoring the obvious. perhaps intentionally.

It's pretty simple, really. Someone who has hacked away at the party for decades and spends much too much time railing against some vague Democratic "establishment" can't possibly be the most-unifying candidate. Common sense would dictate that.

[Mad cow]

3. Or, there may be an element

in the electorate that doesn't see itself reflected in the Democratic "establishment" and like what Sanders is saying in that regard.

[TwilightZone]

8. That wouldn't be unifying the party.

Insisting that there are at least two separate factions - the "establishment" and otherwise - is, by definition, not unifying.

That's the point, actually, and part of the problem. It's one party, not us and them.

[Mad cow]

13. They weren't asked for your perception of unifying...

They were asked for their own opinion. Sometimes people who feel left behind might feel like he is bringing them into the fold, which would feel unifying. Of course, it isn't a huge percentage in this survey.

[TwilightZone]

14. Splitting the party in two is the very definition of non-unifying.

Any assertion to the contrary is ridiculous.

[Mad cow]

18. Well, then you tell that to

the 22% who picked him as most unifying. Arguing semantics doesn't help anyone to understand the electorate.

[ehrnst]

25. Left behind by whom? (nt)

[PatSeg]

22. We used to consider ourselves the Democratic party

until Bernie called some the "Democratic establishment". That was extremely divisive during a primary campaign.

[OliverQ]

4. But the guy who tells voters to go vote for Trump

or calls them lying dog faced pony soldiers is?

[still_one]

5. Pretty misleading headline. 22% of registered Democratic voters, 2 points ahead of Biden.

"The latest survey by Reuters and Ipsos found that a plurality (22 percent) of registered Democratic voters felt Sanders was the primary candidate most-suited to unify the party, putting him two points ahead of Joe Biden.
Independent voters put the Vermont senator and the former vice president neck-and-neck when asked who was best-placed to unify the Democratic party, with both candidates receiving 15 support on the issue.
When polling from both sets of voters was combined, Sanders polled four points ahead of Biden on the ability to unify the party, with 21 percent of Democrats and Independents saying the congressman was best-placed to bring the party together overall.

But a plurality of polled voters (22%) said they didn't know who was the best candidate on the issue of unifying the party"

In other words, it is a pretty much meaningless poll

[TwilightZone]

6. Agreed.

I didn't look at the details as I usually do. Thanks for pointing that out.

[still_one]

12. Most of us don't, including me, but I did this time

[PatSeg]

23. Thanks

It sounds more like people voted according to their candidate preference, not who they really believed was more unifying.

[still_one]

26. I think so

[trueblue2007]

32. The most divisive candidate is the "unity" candidate? i think he would come in LAST.

[jalan48]

2. This bubble popping is not helpful!

[LakeArenal]

7. Frankly I don't believe it.

I trust no polls to begin with, as I know no one... at all... who has ever participated in any poll, including MrLake or me.

There is no way on earth, I will think of Bernie as unifying. Considering his Jill Stein supporting staff and some of theirs and his comments.

Upto and including the Democratic Establishment stuff.

That’s my opinion.

[uponit7771]

9. Irrelevant, most of his swing state numbers vs Trump are lack luster at best

[OliverQ]

11. Better than Bidens.

[uponit7771]

30. False, currently and the last 3 months Biden has had the best swing state numbers outside of MOE

... and that's why Red Don has been so hard after him.

[ehrnst]

15. Actually, those who voted on economic issues voted for HRC. Those who voted for Trump did so

out of fear of POC, immigrants, Muslims, etc.

You're welcome.

[ehrnst]

17. I'm in a union, as well as my spouse.

We have a different experience than you did with our colleagues.

They felt clinton abandoned labor in favor of minorities,

That shows that cultural anxiety was greater than the economic anxiety right there. A woman and minorities were considered a threat by working class men.

now whether they are actually needed or not to win is debatable, but this was in pennsylvania.

The question is, do we throw POC under the bus to get those votes? POC, especially women, are the most reliable voting base for Democrats.

Thoughts?

[ehrnst]

24. "being pro-labor can coincide with being pro woman and pro minority."

Even though Hillary was pro-labor, you stated that your colleagues voted for Trump, because they thought she ignored labor in favor of minorities, and therefore being pro-labor could not" coincide with being pro woman and pro minority."

You really think a vote for Trump indicates a respect for the issues concerning women and POC - which also include labor issues?

It sounds to me like the "cultural anxiety" vote you are talking about doesn't tolerate any attention to issues specific to women and POC - even when those issues are labor related.

:eyes

[Awsi Dooger]

33. Very interesting discussion about labor and TPP

The trade off, as you mentioned earlier, was how much support Sanders loses among moderate swing voters. Lots of Sanders supporters here try to claim that category no long exists, even though late swing voters decided 2016.

Both candidates were so disliked in 2016 it led to an abnormally high number of undecided. If I lead a poll 7 to 1 with 92% undecided that's a slight difference between 52 to 46 with 2% undecided. Yet the headlines will trumpet both of them the same way...6 point lead.

IMO, a socialist driving away moderates is more meaningful than anything he gains among labor or youth. But if Sanders is the nominee then many of us will hope to sit back and hope we were wrong.

[Mad cow]

20. Also, Sanders won the 2016 primary

in Michigan, which is consistent with your theory.

[Laelth]

21. Now, that's hilarious.

Bernie is definitely not the best candidate to unify our party. Far from it, but the voters, evidently, think he is.

Democratic Voters SPEAK to the Democratic Establishment

VOTERS: Look. You're marrying Princess Bernie ...



ESTABLISHMENT: But I don't like her.

VOTERS: What's wrong with her? She's young; she's beautiful; she's got a HUGE number of delegates ...



Better to laugh than to cry, no?

This is posted in good fun. Obviously, Bernie's not my first choice for our nominee.

-Laelth

[Vogon_Glory]

28. If it's a choice between President Bernie and another Republican-controlled Senate

or President Joe and Democrats regaining control of the US Senate, I’ll choose Joe as my candidate.*

Bernie lacks coat-tails and can cost us seats in Congress and the Senate


———

* I have already voted for Joe in my state’s primary.

[Nanjeanne]

29. Brave of you to post it - but thanks! Of course, that poll must be completely wrong and filled with

Republicans responding!!!!!!

[Blue_Tires]

31. How is he going to "unify" the party

when his own campaign is openly talking about purging moderate Dems after he wins??