Sanders has much more appeal than Ralph Nader, but he’s still a Nader. He cannot get the broad appeal he needs to win the swing states. His negatives (Socialist, Jewish) are just insurmountable. If he’d been the Jewish Obama (center or center-right) he might have had a chance. But if he wins the democratic nomination (unlikely, given how delegates are computed) or runs as a third-party candidate, get used to the sound of: :groan: “President Trump”, :cough: “President Rubio”, or :violent retching: “President Cruz”
Sanders has his issues with broad appeal in the general electorate, though Clinton has her own issues with broad appeal in the general electorate. Not sure which candidate has more strikes, and national polls aren’t showing a huge difference of opinion.
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In a Trump vs Sanders race, the question is who’s negatives are more insurmountable. I think Trump’s negatives have to do with character and temperament, making them much more insurmountable in the “broad appeal” department.
But I agree that there is a solid electability case for Clinton. I just don’t think it comes into play until you consider a more conventional opponent like Rubio.
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A major difference is, Bernie’s response to an opponent raising his “negatives” (Jewish, Democratic Socialist, etc) is “yes, that’s true, and now let me tell you why that isn’t a problem”. And he is very, very good at doing that.
Hillary’s response to her negatives (corrupt, militarist, plutocratic, opportunistic) is to deny, obfuscate and distract. Hillary’s method only works if her opponent is blatantly more slimy than she is.
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The math used by four DEMOCRATIC presidential economic advisors.
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I wonder if that’s true. Hillary Clinton has been utterly loathed by the entirety of the Republican base for nearly a quarter century. And I’m inclined to wonder if the majority of those who would object to Sanders on the basis of his Jewishness mightn’t be getting too old and frail to make it to the polls.
Surely someone’s measured Clinton’s and Sanders’ relative unfavorables among the Republican base by now, right? Whom do they really hate more?
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13-66 (net 53 neg.) for Sanders, and 7-89 (net 82) for Clinton.
Source: http://www.quinnipiac.edu/images/polling/us/us02052016_Ust53w.pdf
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“I want to make sure that you hear this because the media will spin this out of control and they’ll make it into another crazy conspiracy theory,” Beck said
Beck’s gotten really weird
But honestly, if I had to order candidates in “most likely to result in armed revolution” I’d probably put Rubio in first, Cruz in second (I’ve already given this a great deal of thought)
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Whereas Trump will lead an armed revolution when the Democrats win again.
“We can’t let this happen. We should march on Washington and stop this travesty. Our nation is totally divided!”
- Donald Trump tweet, election night 2012.
Right behind you, Napoleon.
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Yeah, that’s about what I figured. Thanks!
BTW, my brother-in-law attended Quinnipiac University back in 1972 or thereabouts. Somehow he became a Navy captain rather than a pollster.
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I always thought it was trickled on economics, felt that way at least.
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I wonder how Free Republic reads during any other primary season. Safe to assume members respectfully consider views of those who disagree with their preferred candidate’s ideology and engage in constructive discourse?
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The math they don’t actually show, just declare the supposed results of?
I can find open letters from economists too. Mine have hard numbers.
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wait – how is that not a bedrock political principle?
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Not that I look often, but the residents usually tend to be much more in lock-step in venting their spleen at the America-hating socialist pinkos, feminazis, lying scientists, Islamofascists, abortionists, enviromence-ists, the homosexualists, and the gun-snatchers rather than infighting.
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Certainly Toronto got its taste of Trump-lite in the form of Rob Ford. His main qualification? That electing him would annoy the heck out of those elitist downtown snobs.
And it worked.
Certainly reminded me that my bubble was not the world.
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Well what do you know, the GOP is getting skinned by a left of Party candidate. The Dems are just laughing,… cough, cough, hold on just a minute… wha?
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People keep characterizing it as a win, and technically it was, but considering that up to early January Nevada was favoured for Clinton in big daunting double digits… her hanging on by 5 points is indicative of a large loss of said favour to Sanders.
I wonder what the popular vote in that primary would reflect? Yes I do, but I’ll have to keep wondering, because they don’t intend to release that data AFAIK.
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