Are Sanders Supporters Hurting Their Candidate? [View all]

[MineralMan]

My guess is that some of them are doing exactly that. Constant attacks on Hillary Clinton won't build support for Senator Sanders. Most Democrats think that Clinton would be a fine President. Democrats like her and they know that she has been working toward things that are important to them. They may also be looking at Sanders, but will be more than willing to vote for Clinton if she is the nominee.

So, when they see attacks that do not acknowledge Clinton's strong progressive positions, but rather attack individual issues over and over again, they wonder. Supporters of candidates are often taken as representatives of the candidates they support. In many ways, that's exactly what they are, even if that representation is voluntary and not even in keeping with that candidate's own preferences.

Bernie Sanders has clearly been avoiding attacks on Hillary Clinton and other Democratic candidates. That's intentional. He's trying to focus people's attention on his own positions, not the positions of his opponent. He also knows that he may well be endorsing Clinton in the end. Why would he attack someone he might be endorsing if his candidacy doesn't lead to the nomination? That strategy is undermined when his supporters are constantly in attack mode. Alienating Democrats is not a winning strategy.

Why not focus on Senator Sanders, rather than on Hillary Clinton? Why not build him up and tell people who he is and what he stands for. Every time Clinton is attacked is an occasion when many Democrats might well be annoyed by the attack. You can't get followers by insulting their affection for another candidate. It just doesn't work. Instead, it often builds resentment for the candidate being supported by the attacker. That's just the truth.

People who want Bernie Sanders as the nominee need to focus on him, not Hillary Clinton. Negative campaigning often backfires, especially in primary races. Why engage in it? I'm not getting it. I'm planning to caucus for Sanders in Minnesota on March 1, 2016. People, however, could convince me not to do so. I like Hillary Clinton, too. Don't make me dislike Sanders by attacking her. That trick never works.