# Barbara Boxer described Bernie supporters as well, like Trump supporters **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 17, 2016, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035 "2016-05-17T21:06:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/61 "2016-05-18T23:17:46Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Should the campaign ignore the stacked deck? The rules haven’t been followed scrupulously, and more than that the rules have been exposed to be basically unfair. Which rules have been exposed as basically unfair? Can you be specific? ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/62 "2016-05-18T23:49:53Z")
I think a lot of Sanders supporters argue that closed primaries in and of themselves are unfair. Ok, there is a case to be made there, but the problem with that argument is that none of that should have been a surprise to the Sanders campaign, and it exposed a tremendous lack of preparedness and savvy among his supporters. Personally, I don’t think that registering as a Democrat to vote in their primary is too onerous a requirement. Kinda makes sense, you know? Interestingly, [Ed Kilgore](http://http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/05/sanders-needs-to-talk-down-his-supporters.html) today argues that: > [@](#): > > Until this cycle, moreover, it was typically Democratic progressives, not “centrist” Democrats, who favored closed primaries as a way to elevate the influence of “base” as opposed to “swing” voters. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/63 "2016-05-19T00:17:52Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I don’t know what you mean by progressive principle here. There are rules to the Democratic primary process, and according to those rules Hillary has not yet won. She can either win enough delegates or have the super delegates maintain their support for her and win, or the delegates could choose Bernie. I doubt they will. But he has every right, and a responsibility to those who have supported him so far to try to gain as many delegates as he can. > > Since everybody says Hillary has already won why is she still campaigning in primaries? She doesn’t need to win any more delegates if she won, right? Bernie can go as far as his ego will let him. What we know is that there is no way he’s going to convince the super delegates to switch sides – especially after everything that has happened over the last week or two. But beyond that, there is no reason why the delegates should switch allegiances. Bernie Sanders has not proven he can be superior to Hillary in states that are most likely to matter. He has not proven he can be a superior candidate to Hillary in terms of the vote count so far. He still lags way behind when it comes to African Americans, and that’s not going to change. Yes, Bernie can keep fighting if he wants to. He has the legal right to do that. But many would also argue that he also has the responsibility to do what is in the best interests of the causes he supposedly espouses. It’s one thing to make sure that every voter has a chance to participate in the process – that’s fine. But he shouldn’t be lying to his supporters and convincing them that they can still win – there’s no way he can win and his supporters are too ignorant to understand that. He knows better, though. He also knows it’s not a good dynamic to encourage violence in advance of the democratic convention. Does Bernie want Philadelphia in 2016 to resemble Chicago in 1968? ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/64 "2016-05-19T00:22:18Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > Sanders has been on record as saying that Southern states, because they are “the most conservative part of the country,” “distort reality” where the primaries are concerned. The Southern states, he is saying, don’t count, or shouldn’t count. Did you miss these comments? Yeah, I love that logic. Louisiana and Mississippi distort reality – unlike Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Wyoming. :rolleyes: Bernie Sanders is cherry picking his facts and the results. I get that he wants to win, but he lost the swing states. He lost Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Florida. He also lost New York, which is the most diverse state so far. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/65 "2016-05-19T00:27:50Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > And answer the question I asked, why is Hillary still campaigning in primaries if she already won? Its rare I see such a silly question on these boards. Imagine it’s the Super Bowl and the Patriots are beating the Rams by 523-3 with four minutes remaining in the game. Do you suggest that the Patriots simply not leave the bench anymore? Well, same answer goes for Hillary. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/66 "2016-05-19T00:35:35Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > And answer the question I asked, why is Hillary still campaigning in primaries if she already won? Because she has a primary opponent who refuses to admit that he’s lost. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/67 "2016-05-19T00:42:55Z")
Politifact just posted this about the NV convention: > **[Allegations of fraud and misconduct at Nevada Democratic convention unfounded](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2016/may/18/jeff-weaver/allegations-fraud-and-misconduct-nevada-democratic/)** > > Supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are furious over the results of Nevada’s state Democratic Party convention in > [@Politifact](#): > > But the howls of unfairness and corruption by the Sanders campaign during Nevada’s state Democratic Convention can’t change the simple fact that Clinton’s supporters simply turned out in larger numbers and helped her solidify her delegate lead in Nevada. > > There’s no clear evidence the state party “hijacked” the process or ignored “regular procedure.” > > We rate this claim False. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/68 "2016-05-19T00:54:30Z")
This will be dismissed as all part of the conspiracy. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/69 "2016-05-19T01:15:19Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Which party rules? The ones that say Bernie must win the nomination regardless of the fact that he is far behind in popular vote AND delegates? Good luck with that. According to [this report (ABC)](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/security-concerns-end-nevada-democrats-convention-39134128) and [this report (Wonkette)](http://wonkette.com/601848/bernie-sanders-fans-take-massive-dump-on-nevada-democratic-convention-floor), one of the grossly unfair rules is that to participate in a Democratic Partry convention, one must register as a Democrat by May 1! That was ~58 delegates who were denied their franchise because of a piddling little techicality!! Clearly, the deck is stacked for Hilary. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/70 "2016-05-19T01:42:32Z")
Yep, clearly discriminatory against Bernie’s band. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/71 "2016-05-19T01:53:08Z")
The old left and the new right have far more in common than either of them would care to admit. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/72 "2016-05-19T02:06:01Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > According to [this report (ABC)](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/security-concerns-end-nevada-democrats-convention-39134128) and [this report (Wonkette)](http://wonkette.com/601848/bernie-sanders-fans-take-massive-dump-on-nevada-democratic-convention-floor), one of the grossly unfair rules is that to participate in a Democratic Partry convention, one must register as a Democrat by May 1! > > That was ~58 delegates who were denied their franchise because of a piddling little techicality!! > > Clearly, the deck is stacked for Hilary. And only eight of those prospective delegates even showed up to the hall! If every single procedureal thing had gone the Bernie supporters’ way, the final results would have been exactly the same. IANAL, but isn’t it true that you can only appeal for a mistrial if there is a procedural error that could have conceivably affected the final outcome? ---
**Author:** ![DerekMichaels00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@DerekMichaels00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DerekMichaels00)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/73 "2016-05-19T02:08:30Z")
Instead of Bernie Bros, Bernie Babies!! ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/74 "2016-05-19T02:20:36Z")
**TP** I do not hear, well _anyone_, claiming that Sanders does not have the right to continue to run and to try to win delegates. Yes he only needs to win the remaining delegates by a two to one margin in order to catch up in the pledged delegate count. And there is always the chance that he will convince the superdelegates to all come around en masse to vote for him overruling the clearly expressed will of the people. It could happen! (And if it doesn’t, well nice little convention you have here … shame if something should happen to it. Because the only way he could have lost was it was rigged … they followed the long established rules you know, very unfair!) And he has the right to literally endorse Trump if he wants. No law against it. He can do ads for him. It’s allowed. It is completely within the rules and fair for him to continue to do as much harm to the chances for a Democratic win in November up and down the ticket in service of whatever he thinks it is in service of, whatever his motivation is. The is no rule against him being a complete putz and no one claims there is. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/75 "2016-05-19T02:47:40Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > This will be dismissed as all part of the conspiracy. A Bernie supporter dies and goes to Heaven, where God is waiting for him. “I’m actually sending you back,” God says, “so you can explain to everyone that there IS no anti-Bernie conspiracy. It’s just an election, like any other election.” The Bernie supporter wakes up and runs to the local Bernie campaign office, yelling “You’ll never believe how high the Anti-Bernie Conspiracy goes!” ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/76 "2016-05-19T02:51:08Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > A Bernie supporter dies and goes to Heaven, where God is waiting for him. > > “I’m actually sending you back,” God says, “so you can explain to everyone that there IS no anti-Bernie conspiracy. It’s just an election, like any other election.” > > The Bernie supporter wakes up and runs to the local Bernie campaign office, yelling “You’ll never believe how high the Anti-Bernie Conspiracy goes!” LMAO! I saw the punchline coming after “no anti-Bernie conspiracy” (I was expecting “God’s in on it too!” but your version is better), but I laughed all the same. Did you come up with this? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/77 "2016-05-19T02:53:23Z")
So … [delusional putz it is](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/19/us/politics/bernie-sanderss-campaign-accuses-head-of-dnc-of-favoritism.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0). > [@](#): > > … Mr. Sanders, his advisers said, has been buoyed by a stream of polls showing him beating Mr. Trump by larger margins than Mrs. Clinton in some battleground states, and by his belief that an upset victory in California could have a psychological impact on convention delegates who already have doubts about Mrs. Clinton. … While Mr. Sanders says he does not want Mr. Trump to win in November, his advisers and allies say he is willing to do some harm to Mrs. Clinton in the shorter term if it means he can capture a majority of the 475 pledged delegates at stake in California and arrive at the Philadelphia convention with maximum political power. > > Tad Devine, a senior adviser to Mr. Sanders, said the campaign did not think its attacks would help Mr. Trump in the long run, but added that the senator’s team was “not thinking about” the possibility that they could help derail Mrs. Clinton from becoming the first woman elected president. > > “The only thing that matters is what happens between now and June 14,” Mr. Devine said … > > … For weeks, some current and former Sanders campaign workers have privately acknowledged feeling disheartened about Mr. Weaver’s determination to go after the Democratic National Committee, fearing a pitched battle with the party they hope to support in the general election. The intraparty fighting has affected morale, they say, and raised concerns that Mr. Weaver, a longtime Sanders aide who more recently ran a comic book store, was not devoted to achieving Democratic unity. Several described the campaign’s message as having devolved into a near-obsession with perceived conspiracies on the part of Mrs. Clinton’s allies. … Editted to add: and it is _his right_ to be a delusional putz. And TP, you have a right to support him as much as you want. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/78 "2016-05-19T03:19:06Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Its rare I see such a silly question on these boards. Imagine it’s the Super Bowl and the Patriots are beating the Rams by 523-3 with four minutes remaining in the game. Do you suggest that the Patriots simply not leave the bench anymore? > > Well, same answer goes for Hillary. Wrong. > [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Because she has a primary opponent who refuses to admit that he’s lost. Wrong. She’s still campaigning because she hasn’t won yet. So before you go around criticizing Bernie’s supporters you should deal with your mistakes. Bernie isn’t doing anything to her, this is a primary and she’s in a fight. You know I really hope the Fox News Poll results released this evening aren’t accurate because it may be too late for the super delegates to come to their senses and nominate Bernie. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/79 "2016-05-19T03:28:50Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > LMAO! I saw the punchline coming after “no anti-Bernie conspiracy” (I was expecting “God’s in on it too!” but your version is better), but I laughed all the same. > > Did you come up with this? No, it was a Facebook meme I saw a couple of days ago. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035/80 "2016-05-19T03:29:04Z")
> [@](#): > > …because it may be too late for the super delegates to come to their senses and nominate Bernie. Or Trump could come to\* his\* senses and endorse Bernie. The whole weight of his support, get Sheldon Adelson on the phone, to throw in his money. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-boxer-described-bernie-supporters-as-well-like-trump-supporters/755035.md?page=5)