LetMyPeopleVote
LetMyPeopleVote's JournalIowa Democrats worry Bernie Sanders couldn't win a general election or tame Washington
VOX has an interesting article today on how some Iowa Democrats are worried about Sanders being viable http://www.vox.com/2015/9/29/9413889/bernie-sanders-iowa-democrats
The 56-year-old legal aid attorney caucused for Barack Obama in 2008, and her politics put her more in line with Sanders than with Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Her children, she said, "feel the Bern."
But Klearman plans to caucus for Clinton in February.
"I think she has a better chance of winning, and I really want to see a Democrat as president," Klearman said after listening to Sanders speak at a Jewish Federation forum in Waukee on Sunday. "I think Americans fear socialism, even though the things that Sen. Sanders is talking about apparently I agree with him on more issues than I do with Hillary. But not by a whole lot."
The question of whether America is ready to elect its first socialist president is one of two major concerns about Sanders that Iowans raised in interviews with Vox at a half-dozen of his events this past weekend. The other is whether he could govern effectively. Together, they represent the main challenge to Sanders's viability: Even some of the Democrats who think he's on point aren't at all sure he's their best pick to win the presidency or to run Washington.
"Bernie does not say anything I don't like," said John Ross, 76, who came to see Sanders on the stump at the Latino Heritage Festival here on Saturday. "My concern is him being able to win the support he needs in Congress."
I am also in the demographic which has the most people supporting Sanders and I share the concerns raised in this article. During the primary process, voters need to select the candidate that they are most comfortable with.
Iowa Democrats worry Bernie Sanders couldn't win a general election or tame Washington
VOX has an interesting article today on how some Iowa Democrats are worried about Sanders being viable http://www.vox.com/2015/9/29/9413889/bernie-sanders-iowa-democrats
The 56-year-old legal aid attorney caucused for Barack Obama in 2008, and her politics put her more in line with Sanders than with Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Her children, she said, "feel the Bern."
But Klearman plans to caucus for Clinton in February.
"I think she has a better chance of winning, and I really want to see a Democrat as president," Klearman said after listening to Sanders speak at a Jewish Federation forum in Waukee on Sunday. "I think Americans fear socialism, even though the things that Sen. Sanders is talking about apparently I agree with him on more issues than I do with Hillary. But not by a whole lot."
The question of whether America is ready to elect its first socialist president is one of two major concerns about Sanders that Iowans raised in interviews with Vox at a half-dozen of his events this past weekend. The other is whether he could govern effectively. Together, they represent the main challenge to Sanders's viability: Even some of the Democrats who think he's on point aren't at all sure he's their best pick to win the presidency or to run Washington.
"Bernie does not say anything I don't like," said John Ross, 76, who came to see Sanders on the stump at the Latino Heritage Festival here on Saturday. "My concern is him being able to win the support he needs in Congress."
I am also in the demographic which has the most people supporting Sanders and I share the concerns raised in this article. During the primary process, voters need to select the candidate that they are most comfortable with.
Jindal could soon end presidential run, website predicts
I have been wondering which GOP candidate will be the next to go. The latest prediction is that Jindal is next http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/09/jindal_pataki_to_drop_presiden.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
"He's become desperate," an Iowa Republican told the website. "He's taken to attacking Trump (we know how that worked out for Perry and Walker) and has nothing going on here in Iowa."
Another insider said Jindal had too much competition on "the hard inside right lane." In the last year in Louisiana, the governor has taken a strict conservative stance on taxes and education.
Like Walker, Jindal has a very bad record to run on. It is hard to ask for a promotion when you failed at your last job and Jindal has really screwed up the finances of his state.
What Is Taking Joe Biden So Long?
I agree with this article that Biden is standing by as a failsafe for the party http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2015/09/joe_biden_is_taking_a_long_time_to_decide_about_running_for_president_is.html
The Democratic Party, or at least its establishment, needs a B Teama candidate and a campaign to run if Clinton cant. Sanders doesnt fit the bill, and Martin OMalleywho sits near the bottom of the polls, with 1 percentisnt visible enough to meet the challenge. Biden, the sitting vice president, is the natural choice. And so he does the work: He talks with lawmakers, sits with officials, meets with donors, and builds the skeleton of a campaign, with enough muscle to move if necessary. In the meantime, hell enjoy the attention of media and supporters. After all, its nice.
So long as there is no implosion in the Clinton campaign, I doubt that Biden will get into the race. If Biden does get in, he will be the nominee
Boehner Will Resign from Congress
Source: New York Times
WASHINGTON Speaker John A. Boehner will resign from Congress and give up his House seat at the end of October, according to aides in his office.
Speaker John A. Boehner in Washington on Thursday. He is under pressure to stand up to the president on Planned Parenthood.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/26/us/boehner-will-resign-from-congress.html?smid=tw-bna&_r=0
Ahmed Mohamed will be on Chris Hayes tonight
Ahmed Mohamed will be on All In with Chris Hayes tonight http://www.mediaite.com/online/obama-invites-ahmed-mohamed-to-bring-his-clock-to-the-white-house/ I am taping this show so that I can watch the debate but I want to see this young man on MSNBC tonight
Reports are that Biden may wait until late October or early November to decide to run
The WSJ has a story out on this and there was some discussion on MSNBC of this rumor. No one knows for sure what Joe Biden is thinking right now and he deserves all of the time he needs to make a decision following the loss of his son http://finance.yahoo.com/news/biden-secretly-meets-top-obama-100259078.html;_ylt=AwrT6Vu0XvdVXqEAso8PxQt.;_ylu=X3oDMTEzbHNxNnYwBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDRkZVSUMwXzEEc2VjA3Nj
This new scenario would have several distinct disadvantages. It would mean skipping the first Democratic debate on October 13 in Nevada. It would mean missing the annual Jefferson Jackson dinner in Iowa on October 24, an event traditionally of no small political importance. It could mean missing the Florida Democratic Party convention on October 31 and November 1.
But the new timetable might offer certain upsides. It would afford Biden and his people the chance to gauge whether Clinton is able to reverse her slideor, on the contrary, reap the benefits from an enhanced sense of Democratic unease if her skid continues. It would, in particular, let Biden wait until after Clinton's October 22 testimony to the House Select Committee on Benghazi, which might conceivably exacerbate her current maladies. It would give Bidenworld more time to put the functional pieces of a campaign in place. And it would give Biden himself more time to come to terms with the emotional turmoil still roiling inside himand to be certain his family is in favor of him running, as well as being genuinely prepared for what it would entail.
If this rumor is correct, then it appears that Biden may not get into the race unless there is an implosion in the Clinton campaign. Getting into the race this late in the game works if Clinton is dropping out and Joe's main opposition is Sanders but does not work if he is going to take on an undamaged Clinton campaign who will contest the nomination.
Again, this is a rumor and only Joe Biden knows his timing.
Bernie Sanders tries to meet with Black leaders but nobody shows up: Only 6 CBC members attended
I saw a question on the bernie page and decided to provide a report on the attempt at a meeting held by Sanders with the Congressional Black Caucus http://www.salon.com/2015/09/11/bernie_sanders_ties_to_met_with_black_leaders_and_nobody_shows_up_only_6_congressional_black_caucus_members_attend/
According to Politic365, the meeting took place outside the Capitol Building so that the members could talk politics and election strategy in depth. And according to the invitation, the meeting was meant to serve as overview of CBC priorities and a conversation on pressing issues impacting the African American community.
Sanders, whose campaign has been beleaguered by accusations of racial tone-deafness, did address the systemic problems facing minority communities, according to one senior aide to a CBC member....
Although Sanders has seen his poll numbers surge in the first two early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, two states with a very small African-American electorate, hes hardly gained traction in the third primary state, South Carolina. A new PPP poll found Clinton leading Sanders 66 to 12 percent in the state with 78 percent of African-American voters holding a positive view of the former secretary of state. 27 percent of African-American Democrats support Sanders in the Palmetto state.
One of the CBC members who attended was Sheila Jackson Lee who is a strong Clinton supporter. She had representatives at the event that I attended a week or so ago.
Nate Silver gives Hillary Clinton 93% odds of beating Bernie Sanders
Nate is always updating his numbers and has been very accurate http://www.dailynewsbin.com/news/nate-silver-gives-hillary-clinton-93-odds-of-beating-bernie-sanders/22313/
Silvers latest missive serves in part as a defense of Bernie Sanders against those who are attempting to paint him as merely being the Donald Trump of the left. He points to several key differences in what they stand for and how theyve approached the election, but he also points out whats obvious to anyone who studies the national polls rather than relying on misleading headline soundbites: Bernie is behind Hillary by about 20 percentage points in national polls that include Joe Biden, and by 30 points in polls that dont. In other words, her massive lead is still massive, and despite the massive media hype over the summer, little has changed in terms of actual popularity. He goes on to handicap the odds in both primaries.
What Sanders and Trump have in common is theyre both unlikely to be nominated, he males clear before adding If I were laying odds, Id put either one at something like 15-1 or 20-1 against. For those with a calculator handy, that means hes giving Hillary Clinton a 93% (15-1) to 95% (20-1) chance of winning the democratic party primary. In case his message wasnt clear enough, Nate Silver goes on to state that Bernie Sanders is unlikely to be nominated and if he did somehow win the nomination, he would be unlikely to prevail next November. In other words, this is still Hillary Clintons race to lose.
Politico--Insiders: Clinton still on track to win Iowa and N.H.
The Bernie Sanders surge is real. But Hillary has the 'best campaign infrastructure ever built,' according to one New Hampshire Democrat. http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/clinton-survives-213529
That's the assessment of this week's POLITICO Caucus, our weekly bipartisan survey of the top strategists, activists and operatives in the two early-voting states
Driving the high degree of confidence in Clinton's chances is a belief that her field organization is too formidable for Sanders to overcome. "Best campaign infrastructure ever built," said an uncommitted New Hampshire Democrat. "They can overcome any deficit."
Both in Iowa and New Hampshire, eight out of 10 Democrats surveyed said Clinton would win if the contests were held this week. Those responses come even as the Vermont senator pushed past Clinton in an Iowa poll released Thursday, something he has already done in New Hampshire.
"Although the polls say otherwise right now, I think Hillary will win the primary," a New Hampshire Democrat said. "It is still early, she retooled her campaign to better reflect her authenticity, trustworthiness and exceptional qualifications. Polls have been proven wrong, especially in NH!"....
A New Hampshire Democrat who said it's a toss-up between Clinton and Sanders, described the Democratic race this way: "Bernie is legitimately ahead in two recent and credible polls in NH, but...his margin is not large. This is where campaigns can make the difference. Clinton's team is super-organized, and has veterans who know where every last vote is. Sanders' field and GOTV aren't nearly as well established. In a close race this counts, so if it were today: tossup."
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/clinton-survives-213529#ixzz3lUl9GKTv
Ground games can make a big difference in states like Iowa and New Hampshire and the Clinton campaign has been spending money on things like polls and a ground game. Sanders has started to build a ground game in Iowa but Clinton has most of the Obama team.
In 2008, many of the Obama team in Iowa went straight to Texas after Iowa to work on the Texas two step. Under the Texas two step, two-thirds of the delegates were allocated based on the primary and one-third based on caucuses. I worked with the Obama people and they were very very strong and knew their game theory. Hillary Clinton won the primary but Obama ended up with more overall delegates from Texas due to the caucuses.
There is time for Sanders to catch up but that is going to take a great deal of money and hiring people who understand how politics works. While according to Nate Silver, Clinton will be the nominee even if she loses in Iowa and New Hampshire, I am happy to see that some experts still place some faith in traditional political strategy such as the importance of a ground game.
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