Bernie Sanders needs to win both Iowa and New Hampshire if he has any hope of winning the democratic nomination for president.
Bernie may very well win the democratic nomination for president. However the problem for Bernie is once the primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire are over, many of the remaining states are more representative of the broader and more culturally diverse Democratic Party.
Many of the remaining states especially the south, are comprised of more ethnically diverse democratic voters, an area Bernie is still hoping to close significant ground on in his race against Hillary Clinton.
During the last democratic presidential debate in Charleston, South Carolina, Hillary Clinton pointed out Bernie Sanders disrespectful, unwarranted and over-the-top criticism of President Obama in 2011.
Transcript of Charleston, South Carolina democratic presidential debate.
CLINTON: 'ā¦ But where we disagree is the comments that Senator Sanders has made that donāt just affect me, I can take that, but heās criticized President Obama for taking donations from Wall Street, and President Obama has led our country out of the great recession."
"Senator Sanders called him weak, disappointing. He even, in 2011, publicly sought someone to run in a primary against President Obamaā¦ā
CLINTON: "Your profusion of comments about your feelings towards President Obama are a little strange given what you said about him in 2011.ā
Bernie has been no advocate for the accomplishments of democrats or President Obamaāa few comments here and there, but nothing that would be expected or becoming of a candidate seeking the democratic presidential nomination.
Bernie has been mostly doom and gloom regarding the economy and he needs to explain his comments about President Obama in 2011.
This interview in 2011 reveals the expressed words of Bernie Sanders who is running for the 2016 Democratic Party nomination for president. Print media article of Bernie Sanders criticizing President Obama.
Sandersās response: Video of Bernie Sanders in 2011 criticizing President Obama and talking about a primary challenger against him in 2012
āRyan, believe me, I wish I had the answer to your question. Let me just suggest this. I think that there are millions of Americans who are deeply disappointed in the president, who believe that with regard to Social Security and a number of other issues, he has said one thing as a candidate and is doing something very much else, who cannot believe how weak he has been ā for whatever reason ā in negotiating with Republicans, and thereās deep disappointment.ā
"So my suggestion is, I think, you know one of the reasons the president has been able to move so far to the right is that there is no primary opposition to him. And I think it would do this country a good deal of service if people started thinking about candidates out there to begin contrasting what is a progressive agenda as opposed to what Obama is doing.ā
āAt this point, I have not, but I am now giving thought to doing it. You know the names out there as well as I do. And I think the American people have got to be engaged, itās not just me or anybody else here in Washington."
"There are a lot of smart, honest progressives who I think can be good presidents. One of the reasons President Obama has moved as far to the right as he has, is he thinks he can go all the way and no one will stand up to him. So, Tim, I donāt want to tell you more than that, but this is an issue we are beginning to talk about a little bit.ā
According to Nate Silver and others at the weighted polling aggregate website FiveThirtyEight.comāHillary Clinton as of January 21, 2016 has a 79% chance of winning the Iowa caucuses, while Bernie Sanders has a 59% chance of winning the New Hampshire primary.
FiveThirtyEight (538) is a polling aggregation website that uses extensive in-state polling to make its predictions; and successfully predicted the outcome in all fifty states in the 2012 presidential election. [FiveThirtyEight.com Iowa and New Hampshire election predictions.] (Iowa Democratic Caucus Forecasts - FiveThirtyEight)
Hillary Clinton, her campaign staff and her loyal supporters are taking nothing for granted, including Bernie Sanders. The Clinton campaign is approaching the pending democratic primaries like they are behind in the national polls instead of ahead. Every vote counts, needs to be asked for, competed forāand will not be assumed or taken for granted as secured.
President Obama is still well liked and admired by many in the Democratic Party. Hillary Clinton has been a outspoken advocate for the Democratic Party and its candidates up and down the ticket.
Hillary Clinton has been a champion of President Obama and the social and economic accomplishments of democrats under the leadership of President Obama, accomplishments like:
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which has provided health care to millions of previously uninsured Americans.
Dramatic reduction in the U-3 and U-6 unemployment rates since October of 2009 until January of 2016āU-3 10.0 to 5.0 and U-6 17.1 to 9.9 respectively. Note this is with āone full yearā still remaining in President Obamaās presidencyāthe rates will be even lower by the time President Obama leaves office. U-3 unemployment rate since 2005āU-6 unemployment rate since 2000.
63 record breaking months of consecutive job creation. 63 consecutive months of job creation.āBureau of Labor Statistics job creation per month.
Ridiculously low and sustained gas pricesācoupled with improvements in fuel efficiency; leading to more miles being driven per gallon.
Dramatic drops in the unemployment rates achieved under President Obama. White, African-American and Asian unemployment ratesāHispanic/Latino unemployment rates.
African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian and White unemployment rates in 2009.
āThe black community has suffered the hardest during the economic downturn, with an unemployment rate that currently stands at 15.6%. Thatās a much higher rate than for all of the other races that the Labor Department tracks, including Hispanics (12.7%), whites (9.3%) and Asians (7.3%).ā
In January of 2016 the overall unemployment rate for African-Americans, Hispanic/Latino, Whites and Asians stands at 8.3, 6.3, 4.5 and 4.0 respectively .
In January of 2016 the unemployment rates for African-Americans male and female stands at: 8.7 and 6.9. For Hispanic/Latino male and female: 5.5 and 6.3. For Whites male and female: 4.2 and 3.9 and for Asians overall: 4.0
Republicans like to cite and talk about how many more people have been plunged into poverty since President Obama has been in office.
Republicans should know, because it was republican economic policies initiated under George W. Bush, that caused massive job loses in the first ten months of President Obamaās 1st term as president. Job loses that were responsible for millions of Americanās going into povertyāJanuary of 2009 to October of 2009 job loses: 796,000, 703,000, 824,000, 684,000, 355,000, 467,000, 325,000, 217,000, 227,000, 201,000. Job loses and created since 2008āBLS jobs created and lost since 2005.
Despite total Republican Party obstruction and opposition the economy has improved. Republicans have no answer for the marked improvement in the economy under democrats and the leadership of President Obama.
There is still more work to be done on the economy by the next president; raising wages, income equality etc. That president needs to be a president from the Democratic Party.
Bernie Sanders needs to explain his 2011 comments about President Obama, especially his right wing comment about President Obama moving all the way to the right, like Rush Limbaugh, Bernie?
āThere are a lot of smart, honest progressive people who I think can be good presidents. I think one of the reasons that President Obama has moved as far to the right as he has, is he thinks he can go all the way; and no one will stand up to him"